Flirting Shadows
by Sonic Rose
Summary: Shadow experiences the thrills of being a teenager in love. Well, he thinks. He's not sure really... What is it anyhow? And why does it have to be a relative of Sonic's that he's interested in? Please R&R. Shadow in Love #1 SIL
1. Greeting Fate

Author's Notes: I don't usually use Fan characters if I can avoid it, but I've been wanting to include my fursona Sara in a fan fiction for a long time. Sara was created in 1991 as my own Sonic fan character and she's since developed from a simple Sonic clone into her own unique character. Though you wouldn't know it, she hardly resembles the original draft anymore. For anyone curious about her, please visit my DeviantArt account (I am sonicrose there as well) Also, please visit Fortune here on Fanfiction dot net for her stories Petal Hinges and Thorn Latch, which largely inspired the world and Mobian behaviorisms this story follows. It's her great works that have inspired this fanfiction so I hope you all enjoy.

Sara is © me, while Sonic, Shadow, Amy etc. are © Sega.

* * *

It was a gray, dreary day, perfect for Shadow the hedgehog. While other people complained about how depressing the skies were or how drowsy the rain made them feel...Shadow never felt he had much to smile about in the first place. No matter how peaceful things were, his soul was disquieted. He felt more at ease when the skies reflected his somber attitude. 

He'd been all over cities, forests, valleys...he'd seen a range of landscapes, many of them at their peak viewing hours. Sunsets on canyons, sunrises on misty valleys, cloudless skies, shores at sunset, rainbows in the sky…never mattered to him. He never really enjoyed it. His eyes saw it all, but there was something void and empty about it, or him.

It wasn't raining this day, however, so it was a good day to run, to drift…. He did a lot of that. One thing he shared with his arch-rival Sonic the hedgehog was a need to run. His running was restless, though...he never felt there was a place he could stay at for any length of time. Who he was, what he was, it weighed on him daily…something Sonic didn't have, and he envied him for it.

A smile did eventually curl his lips as he came down from one building and caught a familiar scent trail. He and Sonic had come to a truce a while ago, which put them on mildly-friendly terms...but it was still a rivalry, and as custom, a test of reflexes and speed always seemed to ensue whenever the two met. _Ahh, you're close, aren't you?_ Shadow grinned inwardly, knowing the wind carried the scent to his favor.

Something was different about today, but Shadow couldn't place how or why...he just knew the scent meant Sonic was close by. Maybe with a girl...the scent he picked up on had to be two Mobians because it wasn't entirely Sonic's. Catching a flash of blue, Shadow sprang into action and zoomed across the sides of a couple buildings. _I've got you now!_

"Hope you've got medical!" Shadow called as he leapt into the air and went into a homing attack toward...a_ female hedgehog!?_

"Wha-?" A sky blue hedgehog started to spin around at his warning yell just in time to see the black and red dart fly at him. "Holy---!" She was cradling a bundle of groceries, which promptly slipped from her slackened grip. In Shadow's shock, it was all he could do to twist in mid-air to come out of the attack. He wound up knocking into her regardless, just in a far less deadly way.

"What's the big idea?" the sky blue hedgehog ranted as she attempted to shove him off of her. He hastily backed off as she hastily reached for the spilled contents of her bag. The first thing her fingers wrapped around was the plastic bag coating a long skinny French bread. She promptly used it to whack Shadow on the head. It snapped in half, and she continued to pummel him with the half-loaf of crusty baked goods, forcing him to put up his hands defensively.

"I...didn't mean..." he tried to retort between beatings. _What just--I coulda swore that was Sonic's cologne..._ Shadow thought. Even as he stood there, he still smelled Sonic's odor strongly. Perhaps she was his lover? He quickly checked her out, from the lush brown bangs parted slightly to one side, to her pink tube top and denim skirt.

It wasn't until she had knocked him to the pavement that she ceased her attack on him and went to gather up her groceries. The scene did little to draw attention from more than a handful of humans nearby. Few paid close attention to the Mobians who had started coming through the World Gate. Since the portal between Earth and Mobius had been created, it had been maintained and treated at both ends as a country or state border. The Mobians moved more freely between the two worlds and required less paperwork to get through, though their size alone made them automatically less noticeable.

Shadow sat on the concrete sidewalk in complete silence for a few moments, watching her as his mind tried to absorb what had happened. She was sky blue; Sonic was a darker blue. She had brown bangs and eyes; Sonic's eyes were green. He had mistaken her for Sonic because he smelled him on her? _No..._ No. The scent was too strong to have been a mistake. He got to his feet slowly and walked over to her. "Sorry," he said and helped retrieve the groceries. In this close proximity he was able to analyze her odor. He could smell Sonic's pure musk on her, but it was small and passing as the odors of other humans and Mobians she'd interacted with. She had her own distinct odor, but it was very similar to Sonic. "You know Sonic?" It was more a statement than a question.

"He's my cousin," she said idly, sighing over the destroyed items in her groceries.

"Oh...I didn't know he had…family..." A black ear twitched as he realized he really had assumed Sonic was alone in the world. His situation was unique. Not everyone was without those things; he just didn't think about it very often.

"Yeah...I'm his uncle's daughter Sara. We live in Knothole." Seeing the puzzled look on Shadow's face, she raised a brow. "It's a village on Mobius. You don't visit often, I take it?"

"No...not really," Shadow said honestly. Well, the family tie explained things well enough, but something was bugging him. "Do you know who I am?"

"Well...not really," Sara replied, giving a displeased look at her bag. She then looked at the black and red hedgehog. His eyes were intense... "Umm...how about you give me your name, and reimburse me for a few groceries, and we call it even?"

"Huh?" He snapped out of his tense gaze. "Oh yeah...I'm Shadow." He paused, looking at her and the groceries. The bag was half the size she was. The human world was certainly not tailored for their kind. "I don't have any money."

"Blech...figures." Sara shook her head. "Shadow, huh? Oh yeah...I think Sonic mentioned you once…. Well...bye!" she said, hurrying back to Amy's. She would be staying there while visiting her cousin, not that she had told him that. He stood watching her leave, frozen in place, still not at all certain what just happened was real...

-------------------

A cloudy night gave way to a colorful dawn, and soon after, a cloudless sunny sky. The bright sky shining above Shadow brought images of the female hedgehog to his mind, her fur being the same color. He could tell it was going to be a long day... It had started out bright and cheerful, and the new damned hedgehog was weighing on his mind.

He was convinced it had to have simply been his shock that a female was attached to the scent which had now consumed his attention. She and Sonic could closely be associated simply from her telling him they were related. That was...another shocker. The scent, her personal perfume, was just driving him nuts, though. Normally analytical and totally logical, Shadow attempted to reason out why he was even obsessing over this. Shock. It had to be shock. He was just surprised; it was something unexpected…nothing more.

After running a few errands for people at Station Square's docks, he'd earned himself a breakfast. Granted, it was noon so it was no longer breakfast...and sushi wasn't exactly his first choice for a meal, but it was something. It was more than enough to keep him going for his afternoon run.

Shadow had become intimately familiar with most of Station Square's harbor and industrial sections, and now he was learning the ins and outs of the business district. The tall skyscrapers glinted in the bright sun like a thousand facets of the purest diamonds. Not that it impressed him as he sped through the city. He often chose to run along the rooftops, but today he was skimming the sidewalks and weaving through the crowds.

He was looking for something, but he didn't know what. Another business to do delivery work for? Maybe. There was no lack of department stores and restaurants, and those usually didn't catch his eye. He stopped to look at a Starbucks Café; there seemed to be one on almost every corner. A few blocks later, he stopped in front of a GAP, another trendy place filled with shallow women concerned about their looks. Just the kind of place he expected to see Amy in...but he didn't know what kind of girl Sara was.

Again his mind had drifted to her. Well, she was a fighter, first of all. He recalled that well, musing over the fact he'd been beaten with a batard. She was...brightly colored, but he wrinkled his nose at that. Her right arm had been covered by a puffy multi-colored sleeve, and her left had a red band on it and a white, teal-rimmed glove with a purple friendship bracelet hanging off of it. She also had a heart necklace with brightly colored beads, a few of the same being at the end of a small braid in her bangs. It was almost like a rainbow had vomited on her. High fashion, it was not, but even by Mobian standards it was probably a bit over the top. Why did women like gaudy jewelry and bright colors like that? It wasn't like she was a peacock or something...

"Incoming!" came a familiar voice, and Shadow just barely had time to dodge an incoming Sonic missile, followed by his laughter. "Wake up, sleepy head, I almost got you!" The blue blur grinned, receiving a stony look from Shadow.

His usual grunt of disapproval followed. "Close...but that only counts in horseshoes," he retorted, sliding a bit on the pavement. Usually he would've fired back with his own homing attack by now, which Sonic was clearly waiting for. But he was in a thoughtful mood, his eyes gaining a certain distance to them while they bored holes through a mannequin in the department store across the street.

Sonic scratched his ear and tilted his head. "Yo, what gives? Not like you to take it easy on me." He took a sniff. "Sick on some rotten fish or something?"

"Har har." A question formed in the black hedgehog's mind. "Hey, Sonic..."

"Yeah, man?" Sonic blinked, and folded one ear slightly. He wasn't used to Shadow being in such a passive mood. He'd grown used to their infrequent sparring matches.

"Nothing," he said plainly. "I ran into another blue hedgehog the other day...almost thought it was you."

"Hnn?" Sonic tapped a foot while he put two and two together. There were still very few Mobians on Earth, so he nodded with a smile. "Then you need your eyes checked. Heh! If it was a girl, it was probably my cousin Sara. Cool, isn't she?"

Well that answered that; they were definitely related. Another reason he should be dismissing her. "Then I guess I need to go to an optometrist." He paused. "Not sure I'd use the term cool...she's related to you." That caused him to smile inwardly. Nothing like a witty retort.

Sonic shrugged. "Whatever. Trust me, she's cool."

"So what's she doing here?" Shadow decided to ask. It seemed like a normal question..

"Visiting." Sonic grinned. "Uncle Chuck suggested she get out and see the world. Since she wanted to get a look at Earth, I said I'd show her around Station Square, so boom. Not much of a story, eh? Anyhow, my place isn't fit for a girl, though, so I asked Amy if she'd put her up for a while... I have a feeling I'm going to pay for it in the end, though."

Shadow's ears perked up at him offering the where she was. Not that he knew where Amy's apartment was, but that would be easier to hunt down than a lone hedgehog. "Eh..? Pay for it?" Then again, why was that news interesting to him? He decided it was easiest to assume it was just something out of the ordinary, like the first time you try a new food. His first time having sushi, it was something weird, new, and unknown. Once he got used to it, it really didn't come to mind as anything special.

"Yeah, I think she wants a date or six for the favor." Sonic laughed a bit. "I gotta give her credit for her persistence. Ahh well…. If we're not gonna spar, I'll see you later, Shads." After knocking his shoes on the pavement a bit, he set off at sonic speeds.

_Sushi, huh?_ The problem was, he hadn't had more than a taste, and it wasn't enough to satisfy his curiosity. Now that he knew where to find his sushi, he just needed to find out how to get another piece.


	2. Finding Love ?

Shadow knew it would be a long day; he just didn't know how long. Leafing through a new phone book failed to uncover Amy Rose's number or address. There was a special section of green pages now for the Mobian populace, since few of them took last names. It often listed species or titles in place of those things, as well as markings if there were several of the same name and kind. He remembered that Amy had a cell phone, and most of those were still unlisted. Dialing the operator didn't help his case any either.

It took Shadow a while, but eventually he found his way to the public library. By this time it was starting to get a little late, and he was getting a bit hungry. Unlike his lunch, he didn't feel like earning another meal until he'd at least narrowed down his search area. Sifting through trash cans was an option, but he wasn't that desperate. He knew what to do, though, and found a local fast food place and waited for some pimply teenagers to undoubtedly get an order wrong. They were allowed to eat their mistakes, but they eventually made more than their stomachs could hold, and before they could toss their mistakes away, he talked them out of trashing the food, offering a few sidewalk pennies and dimes as compensation.

Having wasted some time getting nourishment, Shadow was finally free to continue his search for Amy and Sara. He still didn't know what he would do when he found them, but the search gave him something to do and his mind something to mull over besides how worthless his life was. If all else failed, he knew Sonic was a friend of the Thorndykes... If she was staying there, there would be no paper trail. He dismissed the idea since Sonic said she had a place and that his was unsuitable for a girl. He wondered what Sonic meant by that...he probably had some nice cozy apartment...while Shadow slept wherever he could find a place safe from the elements. _Stupid celebrities get everything they want..._

Shadow attempted to reorder his thoughts and focus on the task at hand. She would probably be renting, so apartments were likely. In some ways, Mobian records had become easier to acquire and trace than human records. In other ways it was harder... Amy having been one of the earliest Mobians to come to Earth, she would've established herself before applications distinguished Mobian from human. The search was tedious enough, since none of the records he wanted seemed to be in computer format, leaving him to manually leaf through dusty papers all day. His only reprieve from the tedious venture was another Happy Meal, acquired this time by showing off his sonic speeds and chaos control._The Ultimate Life Form...what a joke,_ he thought, but it would pay off... His time and efforts would pay off...somehow.

Later in the day he found it, "AHA!" ... _Rose... Amy..._ an apartment number, a date...it matched. The lack of a middle initial on the form was the first giveaway, followed by it being rented out around the period Sonic and company started gravitating away from living at the Thorndykes'. If she was still there, he would soon find out.

"Uhh...excuse me…. You're supposed to be quiet in a library," a human female scolded lightly. "Also…we're closing; I'm afraid you'll have to go."

* * *

Shadow quietly left the library without complaint; he had what he needed. A quick stop at a carryout afforded him a free map, listing every food joint in town along with city gas stations like the one at which he had just stopped. Ahh commercialism…as long as you put up with a few ads, you could get anything for free.

He was unfamiliar with the residential sections of Station Square, so finding his way around as evening wound to a close was difficult at best. Having trekked through a rather nasty neighborhood, he was now irritated at a half dozen Rottweilers and Dobermans that decided to bark at him or give chase while he studied his map. It was a minor annoyance, though, unlike the trash bin he nearly fell into because he wasn't paying attention to the road and more to the map.

_If I just had a few days to run around here,_ he thought. He'd learned numerous routes in and around the docks/industrial zones by just taking off at full speed and checking things out, observing, before he made any moves toward people. Now he had...well, he had given himself a deadline of 'as soon as you find her,' though he still didn't know what for.

Eventually the purple and orange clouds in the sky faded, and a heavily cloudy night made his vision even worse. He was forced to slow down to get his bearings more than once, and the smoke from passing cars did little to assure him he was on the right track. He hadn't even caught a trace of Amy's perfume. He was beginning to think he'd made a mistake when at last he caught a trace of the scent that had captured and absorbed his attention so.

* * *

The sky overhead was now crystal clear, and despite the heavy cityscape, there were a few stars out, and the buildings themselves glittered. He was now sitting on the fire escape on the third story of a small apartment complex. Just the other side of the wall, were two Mobian hedgehogs, both female. Now that he was here, he sat breathlessly and listened...observed. This was what Shadow did, and this late at night, he wasn't about to make the first move.

"Mmmmmm! You think that's enough chocolate chips, Amy?" Sara's voice rang out, the ultimate confirmation they were there.

Amy slipped over to where Sara had a messy spray of ingredients on the table, and some in a bowl. "Humm... Usually I don't think that there's such a thing as _too much_ when it comes to chocolate, but it might overpower the bananas..." She paused, considering. "How about substituting a few peanut butter morsels?"

"Peanut butter, banana...and chocolate?" the sky blue one considered. Shadow managed to get a look at her through a crack in the blinds. She was still wearing the heart necklace and beads, but the glove and sleeve were off, though the delicate friendship bracelet remained around her slender wrist. All finesse was left behind as her hands sunk into a bowl full of sticky cookie dough.

"Why not?" Amy grinned. "I tried this recipe on Ella, she liked it, and Chris wiped them out before Sonic had a chance to have one!" she lamented, mentioning her first time making them. She really wanted to impress Sonic, but then again, she always did.

Sara laughed in reply, "Okay okay! I'll hold my judgment 'til this gooey mess is soft batch." She smiled; Shadow thought it looked very pretty, very natural on her. "So, are these for us, or him?"

"Eeehh? Oh you know some of this is for a church bake sale! ...But I wouldn't mind if Sonic had some." Amy blushed. Shadow snorted lightly in disgust. Her crush on Sonic was so strong, it was almost tangible.

"What is it about him?" Sara laughed at the blush and elbowed her pink hostess. "You're totally obsessed. I think you've asked me more about him than you have me!"

"Ohh...ahhh...OH!" A timer went off, granting her a distraction as she pulled out some brownies setting up in heart-shaped pans. "Ahh! Mmm! That smells good, doesn't it?"

The two of them were scurrying around the kitchen in a chaotic ballet that somehow produced a variety of heart-shaped sweets ranging from molded chocolate heart suckers to brownies, as well as jelly-filled cookies and, of course, the peanut butter and banana cookies. It was organized chaos, but the two seemed to be having fun. They chatted on various topics, most of them centered around Sonic.

"So...what's the most interesting thing to happen to you since you got here?" Amy queried as she placed the last batch of cookies on a few paper towels on the edge of the last available piece of countertop while Sara started gathering up the dishes.

"Eh? Most interesting...well...I got tackled by a black and red hedgehog the other day when I got those groceries for you," Sara commented idly.

"Huh? Shadow? You told me someone knocked the groceries out of your hand." Amy blinked.

"Yeah, I think that was his name…. Creepy guy…. Have you seen his eyes? I mean...I have friends with red eyes, don't get me wrong, but I thought I was going to explode if he kept staring at me like that!"

"Yeah, that's Shadow, all right." Amy made a face. Shadow scowled. "Look, don't worry about it...he's had...a hard life, so he's not the most...ahh...socially refined."

_Not...socially refined? ..._ Shadow's quills bristled lightly, and he gazed more intensely at the blinds... They should have exploded. Good thing the Ultimate didn't have laser vision.

"Get the feeling he's looking through you, not at you?" Sara started running water in the sink, making their conversation a touch harder to hear, but then again Mobians had better hearing to begin with, and Shadow as the Ultimate was certainly not exempt.

"Umm…sometimes." Amy tossed the last of the dishes into the sink. "I'll take care of those."

Sara nodded and after washing her hands picked up her glove and colorful rainbow puke sleeve. Shadow felt a wave of irritation at the brightly colored puffy sleeve that now covered her right arm. He knew he had little appreciation for bright colors in nature, but even he didn't think it would extend to clothing...but it irked him nonetheless. He watched her remove her friendship bracelet just long enough to tug her white glove back on and slip it over her wrist. He wondered who gave it to her and why, and why he was now taking note of her wrists. Scent...body parts...hmmm this was an interesting diversion, wasn't it? He managed to convince himself it was just a novelty and after tonight, he'd have no more interest in Sara than her cousin.

He watched her semi-gracefully flop down onto a sofa and pick up a remote control to turn the TV on. She flipped through several channels, sometimes calling to Amy to let her know what was on while she was still engaged with dishes. "Oh! Amy! Look! Our apartment's on TV!"

That drew attention, and Shadow's ears suddenly folded back before a bright flash of light from a news station was cast on him and the TV. "_Sources in the Regal Plaza section of Station Square have reported seeing a shadowy figure on the fire escape of the Regal apartment complex…. Our crew has come to--" _Before the sentence was finished, Shadow sped off into the night, leaving a partly blinded Amy and Sara, wondering briefly why the light flash had been outside their window. "_It is suggested that a stalker may be at large following the Regal Mall incident two days ago…." _Amy and Sara exchanged looks, both having the same thought, and shook their heads. "Nah..."


	3. Tempting Dish

Author's Notes: Well, I don't have much to say aside - enjoy! Oh wait, yes I do. For anyone interested in Smash Brothers Brawl, there may be a bit of a spoiler in here, if you really call it that since the game's out in Japan already... But if you're really Anti-spoiler, well umm you've been warned.

AN2, the PS: Yes, there's a strong 'scent' theme in the story. Fortune's original stories Petal Hinges and Thorn Latch which inspired this story also used smells, though less drastically. I'm enjoying playing with Shadow's senses... :3

--------------------

The following day, Shadow found an abandoned building in which to take up residence. It was only a block away from Amy's apartment, and nobody would come snooping. He contemplated what to do as he sat on an aging hardwood floor. Light peeked through a partially boarded up window, stopping just shy of the hedgehog's shoe-covered foot.

_This had better be just a phase..._ Shadow thought inwardly. His stare was creepy? He looked through people? He guessed he couldn't argue, but he didn't always want to come across that way. Was it his eyes? The girls had spoken a lot about Sonic that evening...

_"Sonic's emerald eyes are just dreamy!" Amy said with a spoon full of cookie dough in her hand to Sara's laughter. "Oh come on! Tell me they aren't gorgeous?!"_

_"Well umm...they're nice...green eyes. I like the determination behind them," Sara replied with an odd look on her face._

_Determination, huh?_ Shadow had plenty of that, but determination wasn't a physical trait. Even if it could be shown in a pair of eyes, Shadow had nothing to be determined about. He was very much a leaf in the wind. He assumed that's why he was interested in Sara at all. True, there were other Mobians in Station Square, even in the Regal Plaza section, but it wasn't like he was a social character by nature. Well, he had determined he wanted to meet her again and that he wanted to leave a better impression than a fly-by crash.

_He lacks...social graces, _Shadow thought irritably. Well then, he'd just have to... learn better.

* * *

By the time Shadow got to Amy's apartment, she and Sara had left already. The scent was strong enough he could easily trace it, and he did so. Fast as he was, it wasn't hard to catch up. Amy had stopped off at a diner where she was apparently a waitress. Sara's scent didn't end there, but Sonic's scent was present where Amy's left off._Great..._

Not about to chase after the two of them, Shadow determined his day would be spent at the library again, this time looking at books about manners and re...la...tion...ships... Shadow shook his head; nah, it was far too early to think about a long-term commitment with a girl who's scent both repulsed and...attracted him.

He stood still outside the tinted windows of the diner, lost in thought. His contemplative leer looked back at him reflected in the glass for about ten minutes before he even realized he was staring. _Maybe my gaze is creepy,_ he thought as a waitress inside dropping a coffee pot snapped him out of his train of thought.

His stomach decided to speak up, though, and in a lucky break, there was a crumpled $10 bill lying on the ground. He grumbled again... Life would be so much simpler if he didn't have to worry about a next meal or a bathroom. After pitting his inner demons against hunger, hunger won, and he pushed the door to the diner aside and walked in quickly.

Inside, he was immediately hit with the sights and smells of a bona fide grease pit. Surely this place had seen its share of ambulances; the place was a heart attack waiting to happen. The interior was a dark wood, with dim gold lighting attached to ceiling fans. The tinted windows did little to improve the place, and he could smell the smoke in the air from some customer's cigarettes. It wasn't just bad for your health; it made Shadow queasy. But that aside, he chose a booth by the only non-tinted window, which let in a nice stream of white light on the maroon upholstered seating.

"Why me?" Shadow twitched an ear, hearing Amy's voice clearly from the passage between the kitchen and the seating.

"Well, he is your species," another waitress' voice said in a hushed tone.

"Come on, girlfriend, isn't he cute?" came yet another voice.

"I... Cute?! You know who that is?" Amy protested.

"Sorry, Amy, you can't pick who you wait on; it's _your_ table! And if he's not taken, you ought to think about it...that Sonic boy isn't going to settle down any time soon!" Shadow smirked slightly at the first waitress' scolding.

Amy was gently shoved out into the diner, sighing at how open and vulnerable she was. Sighing softly to herself, she strode toward Shadow as business-like as she could. She sat a menu down in front of Shadow, and coughed to get his attention. "Hi...I'm Amy...I'll be your waitress today. Can I get you some coffee?"

Shadow snorted lightly, "You can cut the crap...and I don't drink coffee...water is fine."

"Oh uh...fine... Umm..." Amy looked down at the menu. "I'll just give you a minute to..."

"I want the Sunshine Special." Shadow pointed to a table tent sitting next to him. "That's hash browns, eggs, and toast, right?"

"Huh? Oh yeah..." Amy blinked. He certainly was decisive. "Umm...the eggs can be any way you want and the toast...we have white, wheat, rye, or our famous Kaiser rolls, cut and toasted."

"Nnn... Scrambled and I'll have the rye." Shadow managed to sound annoyed. Couldn't she read his mind or something? He just wanted the Sunshine Special, not a game of Twenty Questions. About ten minutes of waiting and tapping his fingers later, Amy returned with the breakfast and a second plate, piled high with pancakes, which she sat across from him. "Huh?"

Amy said nothing for a moment and sat across from him, setting down a glass of orange juice and taking off her apron. "It's my break time...you don't mind, do you?" She cast a glare back at the entry to the kitchen, letting Shadow know she was pressured into this. It comforted him to know that somewhat.

"Whatever." He took a sip of the ice cold water and then started in on his meal. He paused in mid-bite as he noticed Amy neatly folding her hands together and uttering a quiet prayer. He set his fork down and mirrored her hands. "...Thanks for the food..." he muttered.

"So what brings you here?" Amy said in a cheerful voice as she spread butter and syrup on her pancakes.

"I was in the neighborhood." He paused. "I can pay." He held up the crumpled bill.

"Umm if you mean for me too, that's not needed. I eat for free here," Amy replied politely. They ate in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up again. "I usually don't see you out and about...I mean I know...I mean, you live somewhere around here, right?" Shadow nodded. "So why are you here? I mean...what are you up to?" She shifted uncomfortably.

Shadow thought a minute as the hash was disappearing off his plate. "I'm not really doing much of anything...just checking out the area." Well, that much was true. He did want to learn the area now that he had a reason to be there, and since the object he was after was with his rival, his plans had been derailed.

Amy took a mouthful of the fluffy pancakes. "Mm..." She finished before speaking again, "If that's all, I can show you around after work... OH, well...I was going to the Twilight Park Mall with Sara…she's Sonic's cousin...you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Uhh..." Well, he knew where she'd be now, but he was still uncomfortable with the thought of hanging out with girls... He also suspected a good deal of their time would be spent in clothing shops.

"You don't have to," she said quickly before returning to her breakfast. "Ahh...I should've had the cocoa...it's soo tasty!"

"Right…. Thanks for the offer...I guess." He poked at his food now. His mind was contemplating again, and Amy's uneasiness increased tenfold at his gaze. Before long, most of the food was gone and Amy presented Shadow with a bill. He left the whole ten dollars, which Amy took up the change as her tip. There was something ...off about him...not quite right...and the pink-quilled waitress felt relief when he left.

* * *

At the abandoned apartment building, Shadow had brought a stack of books from the library. They ranged from books on proper etiquette to medical books detailing brain functions and theorizing on why people act a certain way. Some of the more interesting material revolved around the Vomeronasal organ (VNO), or Jacobson's Organ.

The VNO detects certain chemical compounds, most notably but not limited to pheromones. The VNO, the book noted, is a significant presence in a wide range of mammals and is also present in humans. It's not so much the smell that it picks up, but the chemicals send signals to the brain, affecting behavior. That certainly explained to Shadow why so many women he passed smelled like deer... All that musk perfume was an attempt to get that animal magnetism. Even he had to be amused at that. Though the book was written before Mobians came to Earth, he assumed that their kind also had a VNO, and that could certainly explain his preoccupation.

He mulled it over a little while as he waited for the sun to go down some more. The book had also mentioned a number of unknown factors, like why some pheromones would have a drastic effect on one animal but not another. Human testing was also limited when it came to the VNO, so the data was inconclusive. Could relationships really boil down to a bunch of chemical signals? Then again, even Amy had been kind to him in the diner.

It was beginning to sound like a soap opera to him. He grimly recalled being mistaken for a cat one time by a little old lady. She had offered him cat food and was hard of hearing and had poor eyesight. She insisted he stay in out of the rain and since he had been on the verge of illness at the time, he had reluctantly agreed. Just 15 minutes of daytime TV made him think the elements didn't look so bad... By the end of his stay he was sick of the overpowering perfume, had grown a tolerance to unsweetened tea, and had a very distinct disliking of soap operas. Everybody was trying to stab each other in the back and shifting between love/hate relationships. Oh well...it was time.

* * *

Twilight Park Mall was bustling with the comings and goings of humans and Mobians alike. A number of smells reached Shadow's nose, mostly from the food court, but also the perfume and candle shops as well. With only the faintest of scent trails to follow, he made up his mind and grudgingly slipped into the crowd.

The place was wide, open, and white. Brass rails lined the catwalks of the upper floors, and fountains and benches adorned every open area. The crowds were noisy and thick, and Shadow was feeling thoroughly uncomfortable in the large mega-mall. Scents and Nonscents threw his nose completely out of whack, and relying on his nose to guide him would now be a lost cause. His nasal frustration only increased with Yankee Candle Company, Bath and Body Works, and several other scent-themed stores on the way.

A foreign import store caught his eye, and he moved in to investigate. It was filled with oriental swords, bamboo plants, silk outfits, and other beautiful things. "Ahh youkoso... Welcome," came the voice of a little old woman wearing a silk uniform. Shadow grunted a reply, "Anything of interest here?" She shrugged. "The last hedgehogs to come through here liked some of the candies I have to offer."

"Hnn?" That drew Shadow's attention. "Hedgehogs? Girls?"

"Yes. You know each other? I could suggest a few herbs if you're lovers...they really help a relationship."

Shadow felt his cheeks flush. "Ahh no...not even...I was just...trying to catch up with them," he answered truthfully.

"Oh? Well, secret admirer, then? Nothing makes a woman feel better or more appreciated than a nice gift. Here at Orient House, we have a number of fine gifts I could suggest." The woman smiled amiably. Shadow scowled a bit. Even pausing for a second, their scent could be wiped away amongst the humans and hot dogs…. "You know women really enjoy chocolate? Some people say it is an aphrodisiac."

"...You're kidding, right?" Shadow quirked a brow. Then again, Amy and Sara did seem to be having fun centered around the fudgy-sugary sweets they made the previous day. Chocolate, it occurred to Shadow, was the one thing Amy talked about as passionately as she did Sonic. Sighing, Shadow reached into his left glove, and pulled out a couple dollar bills. Two boxes of Pocky later, his search continued...

* * *

Having tracked them through most of the mall, he'd found Amy's scent more prevalent in clothing stores like GAP, GAP Kids (taking into account they were smaller-sized patrons), GAP Mammals (the new division of the GAP), Banana Republic, and Claire's...as well as Kay Jewelers, Bath and Body Works (after Shadow overcame the foul stench in the air), and several other places. Sara's scent seemed to linger around movie and game stores, RetroJunkie, and Hot Topic, and at the food court he finally caught sight of them at Olga's Kitchen. Seating himself behind a menu, he peered at the two hedgehogs.

"Are chilidogs really Sonic's favorite?" He heard Amy say.

Sara suppressed a laugh, "Mmm...he's been known to wipe out a whole pizza on his own from time to time. I can say chilidogs are one of his favorites, though…. My dad makes them the best."

_Great... More 'Sonic this' and 'Sonic that'... Sonic...Sonic...Sonic..._ Shadow grumbled softly.

"Would you like to order?" a waitress said warmly.

"Huh?" Shadow blinked, having forgotten he was at a restaurant. "Oh uh...just water for now." She frowned a bit and walked back to the kitchen.

"I couldn't believe that huge Sonic figure they had next to Mario in the GameStop, though!" Sara beamed proudly. "You know he's going to be playable in Brawl?" she chuckled.

"Waa... Oh yeah I know." Amy blushed. She wasn't much of a gamer, but she had put in a pre-order for the game thanks to Sonic being in it.

"Sonic told Mr. Naka and Mr. Miyamoto he just wanted a small cut of any royalties, and the rest are going to various charities," Sara continued. "I can't believe we have the same game systems on Mobius, though. My Odnetnin SD works with the Nintendo DS games just fine!"

As the conversation went on, Shadow learned some facts about Sara and her likes and dislikes. She did not like tomatoes, she loved cheesy things, she didn't like Mexican, and flatbread was different from pita pockets. She adored Chinese food, though. The impatient staff forced him to make a choice on the menu after a while, and he chose the low-carb flatbread burger. She also seemed to completely love video games and enjoyed being in the human world because of the Internet. She had basically taken over Amy's computer while she was staying.

Shadow filed away the information, trying to disregard Amy's bringing the topic back to Sonic every two seconds. He scoffed. Sara seemed to consider her relationship with her cousin somewhat distant and gave vague answers to Amy where she would have liked to delve deeper. Honestly, her obsession was getting in the way of his.

He was doing a much better job of hiding and keeping a low profile this time, until there was a loud shattering noise on the floor. Sara and Amy turned their heads suddenly at the sound of the noise. A waitress had fumbled a bowl of soup and some glasses, but their gaze also took them straight to Shadow. His pupils contracted tightly in alarm._"Shit..."_


	4. Three's a Crowd

"Decided to stalk us?" Amy put in after a moment of silence.

"_What!?"_ Shadow shot back in sudden verbal combat. He was just about to jump out of his skin at that before Amy started laughing at him. Sara wasn't laughing, and his eyes caught hers for the first time since the grocery incident. Knowing his tendency to stare sharply, he looked off to the side quickly.

"Oh come on, Shadow, it was only a joke!" She smiled back at Sara and noted her serious demeanor. "Eh? Oh come on, he's not that bad; you just had a bad run in with him, that's all. I actually invited him to hang out with us today...changed your mind?" She turned back to Shadow with an amiable smile.

"Yeah... Kinda." Shadow's left ear twitched lightly. "I thought Sonic might be with you, didn't want to start anything..."

"I keep forgetting you two are rivals..." Amy rolled her emerald eyes. "Boys."

"So why are you here?" Sara said dryly.

Shadow wondered where the attitude came from, but it could have been him intruding on a girls' day out. "I was looking at some shops...I heard they had some Mobian Specialty shop here..."

Sara's right ear twitched a little bit. Her brown eyes were starting to look frighteningly like her cousin's in Shadow's mind. "Yeah there is." _But I get the feeling you've been following us. _"Amy? Don't forget we're meeting Sonic in a couple hours."

It felt like a warning to Shadow, and his instinct to run grew stronger. He was hungry, yes, but skipping out on the bill was _socially_ unacceptable. Now that he was also close to Sara, her scent was starting to bother him more than the burger cooking in the kitchen area. He was still trying to place exactly what it was, but he tried not to focus on it too hard. He had...made enough people nervous with his gaze today "If the invite's still open, I could stick with you 'til _he_ shows up."

The restaurant manager came out and the group switched to a common booth away from the broken glass that the waitress was now cleaning up. As apology for the commotion, they were offered choice of desserts when their main meal was done. It was eaten mostly in silence until Shadow felt like speaking. "What is it about chocolate?" he asked, eyeing a large slice of chocolate cream pie on Amy's plate. Sara had been torn between the baklava and the triple chocolate cake, the chocolate eventually winning. Shadow passed on both.

"Eh? I like it..." Sara said and took a bite of her fudge cake, a smile curling her lips.

"Why? What is it?" Shadow said with true curiosity.

Sara looked at the ebony and crimson hedgehog, considering. "Mm...it makes me feel good. Like I'm being hugged and caressed inside…." She held a fork full of the moist cake up to her lips as she finished the statement. He found himself staring again, at the colorful sleeve with the delicate fingers poking out of it. "It's like a boyfriend that doesn't talk back." She chuckled.

Shadow wrinkled his nose. "I really don't understand…." he sighed.

Amy laughed, "It's a girl thing, okay?" He nodded at that.

* * *

Shadow found that Sara was equally bored in clothing stores as he was. While she did peer over some of the jewelry, she started commenting to shadow how gaudy some of it was. "Man, check this out..I think I know why Buddha's earlobes are so low to the ground!" she exclaimed, earning a slight smile from Shadow. Now that he wasn't just an observer, he was finding himself more at ease with her than he thought he would be. "Aww, these watermelon earrings are making me hungry."

"We just ate," he replied in all seriousness.

"That was a joke." Sara rolled her eyes. She glanced over at Amy, who was checking out some skirts, and sighed. "I wish Sonic hadn't left me with her some times..."

"..Eh? Why did he?" A curious ear perked up; it was the first time she'd really mentioned her cousin aside the warning shot or Amy bringing him up first.

"Ohhh he says his apartment's a mess. Honestly though, I think it's 'cause Dad wants to feminize me." She wrinkled her nose at some very fragile looking necklaces. He didn't know what to say; something like '_well, you do smell like a boy'_ didn't seem like a good idea. "Ahh, this is me." She picked out a rainbow headband and a black headband, a pair of very small earrings, and a beaded necklace similar to what she was already wearing. "I like to be bright and colorful, but if I'm not then it needs to be simple and go with anything. Headbands don't require any work to slip on, and these beads are cheap."

"So you're telling me you're an economic girlfriend?"

Sara chuckled a bit, "Maybe. That or I don't like high maintenance..." She sighed, watching Amy go to a dressing room with an armful of clothing. "All that perfume she wears can't be good for the senses."

"She does seem..." Shadow searched for a word, "...a bit unaware of her surroundings."

"Yeah, like you being in the area." She said casually as she mulled over her options. Buy two, get one free sounded like a good deal, but she was having a hard time finding one pair of hair clips she even wanted to buy, let alone three. She suspected Amy would have less difficulty in that regard, though.

Shadow's right ear twitched again. "You knew?"

"Don't think that girls are the only ones with their own 'perfume;' you boys can get pretty stinky." She said in an unwavering tone. She sighed and put back the last three pairs of hair clips she'd looked at. Either it was too childish or matched nothing she owned. "Ahh, not to say that you smell like a sewer or anything, but you have your own...musk." She wrinkled her nose a bit. "I noticed it on the fire escape when we went to check on the police and media lights outside our apartment."

"...Oh..."

Sara's eyes glanced him over. "Amy told me you weren't very social, but if you wanted to say hi or something, you shoulda just done it. If it weren't for her, I'd think you were some kind of creepy pervert right now."

"...I guess she's good for something," Shadow grumbled, taking on a distinctly gloomy look.

"Emos shop at Hot Topic." She pointed across to another shop with a metal-head/goth kind of feel to it. From where they stood you could just see the leather, shades of black, and high volume of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise.

"What?"

"You're sulking." Sara shook her head.

"I am not!" he shot back to laughter. Why did women find pleasure in his discomfort?

"Sara! I need your opinion!" Amy's voice rang loud and clear.

"Great...ahh...I think I know where we should go next. Let me go tell Amy it doesn't make her butt look big so we can get out of here." Sara smirked again. While it was somewhat calming to be around someone confident like her and it was a relief that she wasn't all about clothes and jewels...her smile was like _his_ smile, her eyes like _his_ eyes. It was very disconcerting when he considered who he was comparing her to, and yet there were many ways they were different.

* * *

Having wrestled Amy out of Claire's and shoved her past Victoria's-not-so-Secret, Sara managed to usher her into the Red Baron, followed by Shadow. "Now this is a cool place; it's one of the last arcades in the area, I heard."

Shadow glanced around at a number of arcade machines, many new, and a few old. A classic set of arcade games featured were Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Other traditional wastes of time included pinball machines, though some of them were new, like a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed one. Several racers and shoot-em-ups adorned the area, as well as a fair share of fighter games.

Amy exchanged a few bills for little gold coins with Pac-Man's face featured on them. "Here you go, Shadow." She put a stack of them in the dark hedgehog's hand and sighed a bit. "Go have fun."

Sara shook her head. "Try one of the pinball games, Amy, you might like it." The pink one rolled her eyes but took Sara's suggestion. Sara then took one of Shadow's hands. He was so struck dumb by the sudden contact that he barely realized where she was leading him. "Now this should be fun." She smiled at him.

He took a quick, careful look over the machine she had brought him to. It had two monitors and was set up for group play, but it…didn't have a gun or joystick like so many other games in the arcade. A bunch of arrows flew from the bottom of the screen to the top, and Shadow looked at it in puzzlement. "...Where's the controls? What is this?"

"Dance Dance Revolution! Imported." She indicated the Japanese text scrolling across the screen, though the DDR name was in clear English both in the game and across the top of the machine.

"Dance... Dance..." Shadow began, "I don't..."

Sara pulled him onto the small dance floor, with a padded bar behind them incase they should lose their balance. "Ahh it's not like that. I don't dance either."

"...Then?" A darkened brow raised.

"Watch the arrows...when the moving arrows connect with the stationary ones at the top of the screen, you step on the corresponding place on the pad." Shadow made a resistant grunt. "I know, I know, it seems lame... My first time on this thing I got booed off the stage sooo bad... The person who showed me didn't tell me what to do properly... I swore I'd never get on one again!"

"So why did you? This seems like a good way to make a fool of yourself…." he said with some disdain.

"Yeah. It's a good way to make a fool out of yourself." Sara gave her cousin's classic smirk, which drove the quills on his back to stand on end. "I don't care anymore. One of my friends is really good at this, so I decided if she could do it, so could I. Granted the pad's a little larger here than on Mobius, but..." She held up her coins and snatched a couple from Shadow and fed them into the hungry machine.

"DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!" the machine called entirely too enthusiastically. He watched Sara's feet shuffle along the colored pads he now noticed at their feet, just doing the character select. It seemed a bit overcomplicated to him, but he tried to follow her lead.

"Pick your character before the time runs out," she said as she locked her character selection in place, a cute girl with pink hair and a striped top with a heart on it. Her hair was in pigtails. Shadow was a bit slow in making his selection, so he turned out to be a black guy with an unbelievably large fro.

"Ummm..."

"No take backs. You're stuck." She tapped a couple times on the pad in one direction, making yet another selection. "This is where you choose your personal difficulty--I suggest you start with Light." She tapped the Medium selection and watched the timer start to run down. Shadow tapped the button one too many times and wound up on Heavy as time ran out. "Oopsies... ahh...well, umm don't feel bad if you get a low score." She quickly explained which buttons did what again before selecting their song, D.J. Smile; Butterfly.

Sara was used to playing at home where nobody was there to scrutinize her but the digital ratings within the game. She strongly resented the "Hey! Maybe you should work out!" comment among others, but after quite a bit of practice, she was now competent on Medium level. Besides, Butterfly was a beginner's song, so she was quite sure she could handle it. She only wished the English versions of the game included it...and Dragonfly and Bumblebee…and all the good songs and not crappy 80s music and too much techno and rap crap... By the end of the song she'd hit a 167-step combo of which she was very proud, and only got one "Almost!" and mostly Goods and Greats for an AA performance. "Sweet! Hey, Shadow look what I..." She glanced over at his screen and her jaw fell... She hadn't...he was…he never played before so... "How...?!"

"Is that it? Can we go now?" Shadow partly complained, not even paying attention to having just gotten a platinum AAA performance.

"Wah! ...Why is _everyone_ better than me at this game?!" Sara's brows creased together slightly. "...Nnn...two more songs...just two more..."


	5. Good Sportsmanship

Author Notes: The MRT hails from Fortune's Petal Hinges and Thorn Latch fanfictions and I have permission to utilize them :3

* * *

When Sara was sick of being made a fool of, the trio headed back into the mall. She was being rather quiet toward Shadow, and her smile had faded. Had he done something wrong? He certainly didn't think he had, but now that he'd showed her up at DDR, she kept cutting him off when he tried to join in the conversation. Amy hadn't noticed and was happy she was freely offering info about Sonic now.

The awkward silence between them kept driving Shadow to ask himself '_Why am I here?'_ every five steps or so. The ice didn't seem to be melting after a trip to the Discovery store. He had quickly beaten a Rubik's Cube that Sara had been working on and earned a dirty look from her in reply. That really should have been a clue to him.

The rest of their time in the mall, Sara seemed to be forcing a bond between herself and Amy, to which the pink powder puff was oblivious. She seemed now to take delight in his choking reflex when they passed perfume counters and was now focused on accessory counters at every turn. Between that and ogling adorable plushies and such, Shadow was sure he'd be getting cavities from the sugary cute overload.

At the end of two or so hours of walking, the group was heading toward the nearest mall exit. Amy was complaining about her feet, and Shadow and Sara weren't even attempting eye contact. "...What?" Shadow finally said after a long general silence.

Sara grunted instead. "Ahh... Yo! Sonic! Over here!" She ignored him and waved to an incoming blue blur.

Zipping through the crowd, and doing a few unnecessary jumps and flips, he made his way over to the girls with a broad smile on his face. That quickly washed away when he caught sight of his rival, "Shadow?! What the heck are you doing here?" He skidded a bit farther than he planned at the surprise and quickly did a high vertical jump, ready to roll into a ball at any second.

"Hmph. What does it look like?" He too got into a defensive poise until a bundle of pink stood between them.

"Oh come on now, you two! We're in a public mall!" Amy shook her head angrily.

Sonic made a glance at Sara, who looked away unhappily. "What'd you do to my cousin?" he said darkly.

"What? Sonic, you're being ridiculous!" Amy put in.

"What do you _think_, little boy blue?" Shadow responded in an acrid tone. Sonic growled a reply.

"Boys!" Amy called a little louder, but Shadow had flung her aside into Sara, causing her to yelp from impacting her quills.

"Why you--!" The public setting and loud confrontation caused people to pause as Sonic wasted no time in launching a homing attack at his foe. Amid a few gasps from the crowd, a very clear circular patch of flooring was suddenly void of people, allowing the two to duke it out in relative peace. A number of people even thought it was staged.

"Sonic! Shadow! Please stop!" Amy begged. She then gave Sara a dirty look. "Come on, say something!"

"... He's good, isn't he?" she commented on the fight. Shadow had taken the high ground, balancing on the top of a Verizon stall, the man below chewing him and Sonic out both.

"Ahh! That's not the point!" Amy whined. She couldn't stand seeing the two of them go at it. "Sara! Stop this! You know Shadow didn't do anything…."

"Eh." Sara shrugged indifferently. She glanced back to the fight. They were evenly matched, displaying great speed and maneuverability. Even with mall security now coming to stop the fuss personally, just watching them, you knew it wouldn't happen.

Amy gave up trying to reach the boys and gave Sara a not-so-light slap across the face. "Tell them to stop **now**!" she demanded to a very shocked sky blue hedgie. Sonic and Shadow noted this in equal shock, the two freezing in place. It was rather comical to see Shadow gripping Sonic's head spines while Sonic latched onto one of his ears, and both were in mid-tug-of-war over it.

"Hnf!" Sara sighed. "If this is all over me, you're both crazy." She glanced at the stunned mall security and quickly went to pry her cousin off of Shadow. "Come on, Cuz, let's go."

"I'm sorry..." Amy apologized to Shadow but helped Sara tug her blue hero out of the mall. By the time the crowd started carrying on and security was realizing the source of the ruckus was leaving, Shadow had also made a hasty retreat.

* * *

A week had passed since the incident. Shadow had not made any attempts to contact Sara to apologize, as he still didn't know what had caused her to turn so bitterly against him. He and Sonic had come into conflict several times that week. Their spars were growing more intense, like the truce was off. He poured over some books from his dingy broken-down apartment but found no answers. As it was a rainy day, it was ideal for him to continue his "Social Studies" lessons.

Looking for answers, he found few in the pile of books he'd brought home. The book theorizing on VNO attraction didn't explain sudden mood shifts, and other books on human behavior usually chalked that up to PMS. That was not satisfactory to Shadow, who wanted to analyze everything. The library had just gotten in some research papers and books from the MRT (Mobian Research Team) on Mobian physiology, psychology, and culture.

Of Mice and Mice talked about various rodent-type Mobian courtships, but there was little to say on hedgehogs. The "mating facts" section did perk his interest a bit, but it was a fruitless pursuit. "Males are from Mobius, Women are from Venus" at least touched on some of the female behaviorisms he cared about. Mood swings were mentioned, but again, there were few "whys" to accompany them.

_When a female is angry at you, it may not be so much what you did, but what you didn't do._ That made no sense to Shadow, but he read on._Sometimes, a female may be in a more romantic mood than her potential mate. An offering of flowers or chocolates may be well received in times like this. It's easy to cross signals, though, so a male should avoid looking too eager for the mating part._ Shadow snorted. _'For that to happen, I'd have to get a girl interested in the first place.'_

He sighed and went on to the next book in the stack. Was she interested? He didn't even know what the signals were for that... He sighed irritably at his social ineptitude. Something about Sonic always pissed him off, and now his cousin was doing it too. Why did he even care?

He mulled it over with a grim scowl on his face. He didn't like looking at lovey-dovey couples, he didn't like romance novels…. The ones he picked up in hopes of finding out what made women tick just pissed him off. As he lacked a proper home environment, even renting a couple so-called chick flix were beyond him. He just knew the mania over romance and dates escaped him. And yet, he was drawn to this...sky blue headache.

"The hell is wrong with me?" He scratched his fingers through his quills. A strong wind blew some droplets of water at him through cracks in the boards covering the windows. He realized then it was still rather cold out, and he used the piece of cloth he was calling a blanket to cover the holes. Even he thought his case was a depressing, hopeless mess.

* * *

The following day brought more rain and gray clouds. Normally Shadow wouldn't have cared; in fact, he would have felt better, but there'd been a bitter taste in his soul since the mall. Having all the time in the world to think things over, however, he decided he had to do something. Eating was just the first thing he had to take care of.

Sara was nowhere in sight or within his range of smell when he entered the diner Amy worked at. She had given him an odd look the moment he stepped in, but once again, she was prodded over to him by the others.

"Hi, Shadow... What...can I do for you?"

"Know a good counselor?" he said dryly as he took his seat by the cold window.

One of her ears flattened out; this wasn't like him. "If it's about the mall...I mean, it was a week ago, it's cool, right? So...what'll ya have?" She put a pen to her order pad.

Shadow heaved a sigh. "I have no money..."

Amy frowned. "I'm sorry...I can't take an order for..." She looked him over. He seemed more depressed than usual. His eyes were distant, but unfocused, and he hadn't even shaken the water off his quills. "You know what? I'll pick up the tab this time...and let me get you a towel."

"...You don't have to."

"Yeah I do; you're a mess," she said, heading off to the kitchen. She was immediately set on by her co-workers, asking her how she was getting along with him. Like last time, she went on break as she served him, and sat across from him, some crepes for herself and the Sunshine Special for him. "So tell me what's on your mind."

He raised a brow. "You're nosey."

"Yeah well, you boys are jerks, you know that?" she shot back with half the power and effectiveness of his simple answers.

"So what makes us jerks?" He took a sip of the milk and wrinkled his nose. He decided he wasn't big on milk and nibbled a slice of toast.

"Fighting at the drop of a hat, for starters. What is it you and Sonic have so...against each other? That was a horrible scene in the mall! What came over you?" she scolded.

"I don't know...he pisses me off." He glanced out on the rainy world.

"...Does this have to do with Sara?" She found Shadow's intense gaze suddenly on her.

"Maybe it does. Why was she upset at the mall? I didn't do anything." He hardly touched his food while awaiting a reply.

"Umm...well...actually...it... You know...I…." Amy tried to think of how to say it. "She was upset...for a few reasons, but the one she voiced most was...well...you showed her up at one of her favorite games."

"You mean that stupid dance thing?"

"Ahh...yes...and...calling it stupid isn't going to win any points either." She sighed at his obviously confused look. Didn't she _want_ him to be good? "Like...if Sonic told me he really liked a game and I wasn't interested...I'd still try to appreciate it because it's something he likes." She received a more confused look. "I know this is hard for you since you don't have any apparent interests, but…women like to feel important, so it's good to have common interests... Like...if I could bond with Sonic over something he liked a lot, I'd at least try to take some interest in it. Sometimes you just don't like it, and that's fine, but sometimes it's how you say something that makes a big difference." She waited for a reply, but he was just gazing at her so hard, her quills were starting to bristle. "It's like the difference between saying 'please get me' something and 'go get me' something... It changes the whole tone. What you need is...just a proper attitude, okay?"

Shadow's gaze softened reflectively and he changed his target to the plate of food he was slowly picking at. "A new attitude? ...So I dissed the game and I dissed her?"

"...Yeah, kinda. But that's a simplistic look at it."

"You girls are crazy," Shadow said softly and hopped out of the booth.

"Wa…. Wait, Shadow! Aren't you going to finish your food?" Amy blinked and reached out for him.

"No...I have a new attitude to get…." Shadow said and purposely strode forward out of the café, leaving Amy to finish off the food and pay the bill. Nnn...leaving a girl with the bill wasn't good manners either.


	6. Best Laid Plans

Of all the places the dark hedgehog could have gone, nobody would have expected his next move. Leaving the small diner Amy worked at on a whim, he traveled a few blocks down the street to Vinnie's Pizza. The local favorite specialized in deep dish and New York-styled pizzas, and though Shadow was far from hungry, he had an idea he was hungry to try out.

A bell on the door chimed as he entered the establishment, alerting the cashier and two pizza chefs that they had company.

"Eh?" One of the chefs, having nothing better to do between calls, peered over the counter at the Mobian who'd just entered. "...Shadow?"

"Hi, Tony," Shadow replied in his usual even tone.

"Hey!" The human brightened. He had short caramel hair, hazel eyes, and a crooked nose, topped off with a thick Brooklyn accent. "Long time no see, buddy! You eatin' good? You look a little thin."

"I'm fine," he replied simply.

There was a slight pause in conversation, for which Tony eagerly took up the slack. "So, what brings you by? I ain't seen you in weeks," he said while leaning over the counter.

"I need a job."

"Ahh...business as usual." He shook his head. "Ya know, you ought to learn the fine arts of casual conversation…. Ask about the weather and all... But anyway, I could use some help tonight; one of the drivers called off." He started taking hold of one of the finished orders and placed it on the counter. "Your usual pay, right? Couple pizzas do ya?"

Shadow made a mild grunting noise and shifted the weight on his feet before meeting the man's eyes with his own crimson ones. "Actually...I need money this time."

"Eh? Say what? Shadow...not that I don't like you, but according to you, you're not really registered on the job market. That would be kinda hard to put on the books for a one-night job."

"Yeah, well...it's important." Shadow probed his gaze. The man named Tony was one of the few people who would ever stare right back into his red eyes. He was just one of the men Shadow had done jobs for in a barter system of work, but he was unique... Shadow wondered why he hadn't gone to someone else; Tony was very personal and very nosey even with his employees, not the kind of person he usually dealt with. He rather appreciated ones who asked few questions and kept things strictly business. He chalked it up to time and distance considerations rather than personal taste that he had come here.

"Ohhh... So it's a girl, is it?" Tony said both seriously and in an amused tone.

"**W-what?!**" Shadow started.

Tony's grin widened. "You're a guy, right?" Shadow snorted. "Not that I'm the best judge of you Mobians, but, you are a teenager, right?"

"...Roughly," Shadow replied with a shrug. "So?"

"Well...you need money, you need it now so..." Tony placed a hand on his hip and stood up straight. "Either you have some shady business dealings and someone's breathing down your neck for drug money...which I'd hope not...or it's a girl." His amiable smile returned in full as he finished ticking off the options with his free hand.

Shadow twitched an annoyed brow. "I didn't come here for twenty questions... Now hand me some pizzas and I'll go."

"Ahh...must be some dame. Who is she? Someone local?" He detected Shadow's face turning red. "I bet she's something special for you to be beggin' me for dough, nice lil' angel just sent you flocking to me in my hour of need," he teased mercilessly.

Shadow growled. "Cut the drama; do I have a job or not?"

"Only because I am a hopeless romantic. Count yourself lucky but..." Tony came out from behind the counter to personally hand Shadow the stack of pizzas. "...if this girl's worth anything you better treat her well! I swear I'll come punch your lights out on behalf of her father if ya don't."

Shadow took the pizzas and glanced at a photo on the wall of Tony and his family. He had a wife and a little girl that meant the world to him. Perhaps for the first time in Shadow's life, he wanted to have a photo like that himself.

"Don't worry…." he said, and took off.

* * *

Tony had paid Shadow better than he usually would have for a night's work. He actually found the job kind of refreshing; Tony would constantly cut down the time he expected the deliveries to be done in, and Shadow still wasn't that familiar with his new store location and its customers. It proved to be an interesting challenge. The only downside was Tony playing Twenty Questions with Shadow each time he returned from a trip. The worst parts of the night were when the business slowed down, but maybe some sick sadistic part of him had chosen Tony as a boss so he could get some tips on courtship.

By the time he got out of work it was too late to do anything, so he headed back to his home base. By candlelight he poured over a few books on dating and relationships. Everyone seemed to say something different, though there were a few common ideas... Corny pickup lines were a very firm "NO!" Flowers, not roses, were a good offering on a few dates, and good hygiene was expected.

He had picked up a couple of the magazines in the waiting area of Vinnie's Pizza (for those who wanted to pick up their own) and started leafing through them. One magazine had a number of articles, including "What Women Think." This particularly interested Shadow until he saw it was a bunch of touchy-feely shit. _Chick magazine..._

Another magazine he looked at, much more for men, included a number of photos of scantily dressed females amid half-assed articles. Shadow couldn't help but like the photos in this magazine better, but he attempted to sift through the junk for a more meaningful article. "How to Please Women" turned out to be far more physical than mental in nature, though it gave him a few rather disturbing thoughts.

"Karma Sutra for Dummies...wha-- Oh god that's just _wrong!_" Shadow shuddered and quickly flipped the pages. He grumbled irritably. "Doesn't anybody on this planet know what the hell causes relationships?!" He flung the Play Bunny across the room...a Mobian import magazine.

* * *

_Shadow was staring again. The girl with the blue quills weighed heavily on his mind. She was gorgeous, she was blue...she had jewel-like eyes that shone like emeralds. __Emeralds? Emeralds. The black hedgehog suddenly realized Sara had just turned into a female version of Sonic. Or had she been that way all this time?_

_"GAH! EW!"_

_"What did you say?!" Sara's voice said indignantly, but it was Sonic's hand that caught Shadow by the shoulder and spun him around. He delivered a punch Knuckles would have been proud of, which knocked him backward into the Sonic-girl type._

_"Gah! This...this can't be!" Shadow picked himself up and found himself staring at a shifting female hedgehog...darker blue with brown bangs…sky blue with brown bangs...and the eyes shifted between green and brown._

_"What did you expect anyway!? I __am his cousin!" the dream Saronic scolded._

_"No! No! There's no way I'd fall for you! I hate him!"_

_"Oh do you?" Saronic was more solidly Sonic with feminine touches. The smile almost belonged to Rouge, it was so coy and "come hither"...and that so very disturbed Shadow. "I'm not so bad like this, am I?"_

_Shadow snorted, "You can't be real... Love isn't real...attraction…. It's all a bunch of bullshit illusions. Once I find out how to counter it I won't care if you both go to hell!" He backed away from the girl and yelped as a pair of arms grabbed him from behind._

_"You know you don't mean that, Shadow," the voice said softly. It belonged to Maria, but her features melted to Sara. It was Sara; her bangs were blond but that didn't matter. Maria's voice soothed him. "You love me, and you want to know me, right?"_

_"I..." Shadow turned and was absorbed by the deep brown eyes staring at him. He leaned in closer...touched lips...and when he pulled back... "SONIC!?"_

_"Ha! Ohhh Shadow, I didn't know you cared!"_

Shadow sat bolt upright from the nightmare, breathing heavy and covered with sweat. "...The hell…." He shuddered at the thought of even _accidentally_ kissing his rival. It took a few minutes for his heart to stop pounding as he attempted to make sense of the dream. He grabbed another book he'd brought, but he knew what it meant already. He was wondering if his attraction to Sara wasn't in some weird way like being attracted to a female version of his rival. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to go along with his plans for the next day, but he had to figure this out once and for all.

* * *

The next day was very busy for Shadow. His first stop, much to his dismay, was a hair salon. The salon he stopped into didn't deal with Mobians very often. After a few minutes of discussion, they agreed he would wash himself and the only cutting they would do (if any) was on his chest fur. The girl who helped him out with the fur trim kept saying how adorable his tuft of white fur was, causing him to scowl fiercely. The main trouble he had there was scents; everything had an odor to it, and while he wanted to smell nice, he didn't want to cover up who he was.

That piece of business taken care of, he zipped over to a flower shop. His nose was having a bad day...a really bad day. "Are you all right, Sir?" a lady minding the shop asked, concerned.

"...Yeah," Shadow coughed.

It was certainly an unusual way of doing things, but the clerk brought out different bouquets of flowers to the hedgehog outside the shop. The stronger scented flowers were quickly discarded. After a while he left with a bouquet of carnations mixed with Baby's Breath.

His third stop was at the Lindt store he'd seen in the mall. After asking to sample a few of the candies, he quickly wondered what the draw was. Having read that dark chocolate acted as an aphrodisiac, he picked a box of dark chocolates. "I still don't understand…." he sighed as he paid entirely too much for a box of ten chocolates. Oh well, now it was time to put into practice what he'd learned, and sped off toward Amy's.

* * *

He braced himself as he stopped in front of the apartment. He took a few slow deep breaths and went over his pickup lines a few more times. He felt really awkward. It had been an awkward day to begin with... Resigning himself to his "fate," he knocked in the door adorned with a pink heart that read "Amy."

"I'll get it!" came a small voice on the other side. _That wasn't Amy's voice...or hers,_ Shadow thought as the door cracked open. He actually had to look down to see the door greeter. A cream and orange lop-eared rabbit gave a cheerful "Good morning, Shadow!"

"Uhh...Amy and Sara? They're here, right?" Shadow said after a stupefied minute.

The rabbit eyed the flowers and candy, then Shadow before saying anything. "Mother! Shadow's here!"

"Well let him in, Cream," Vanilla's voice said softly from the kitchen area.

Shadow walked into the apartment for the first time, and it was much as he had expected. It was mostly pink, with patches of blue where Amy had set up photos of her long-term crush Sonic. The air wasn't as nauseating as he thought it would be, however, and the only scents he smelled strongly in the room belonged to the two rabbits. "So...where are they?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Vanilla wiped her hands on an apron. "They left a little while ago."

Shadow twitched an ear. "Where?"

"Pardon? Oh...where did they go?" Vanilla queried while Cream hopped back up on the couch. Cheese snuggled up against her, and the two started watching cartoons.

"Yeah." Shadow glanced at the TV, then quickly away. "What did you think I meant?"

"No need to be defensive. So you're Shadow?" The black hedgehog nodded. He remembered Cream well enough, but he hadn't really met her mother. She seemed as nice as her well-mannered child. She took note of the things he was carrying and quickly put two and two together. "Well I'm sorry, but they left for the World Gate. Yesterday was Sara's last day here on Earth."

"W-what? She's gone? They're both gone?" _All that work for nothing?_

Vanilla shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yes." She wasn't going to say much more but it wasn't like she had been sworn to secrecy. She had a feeling nobody knew about Casanova Shadow... "Sonic went too. He wanted to see how everyone in Knothole's been without him, and that's where Sara's father lives."

"Thanks... Umm...well..." Shadow sighed. "Sorry for the trouble then..." The hedgehog turned and left, leaving the bouquet and chocolates on the table. The two bunnies looked at each other, unable to think of anything to say. As for the ebony hedgehog...after all that...he _thought_ he was free at last Boy was he wrong.


	7. Crazy Going Slowly Am I

As soon as Shadow had left the apartment, he felt an urge to run. He sped as fast as he could to the World Gate. Although he'd told himself not to go, to give up, he couldn't help but dart there in a hurry. Station Square's monorail ran to and from the gate between Mobius and Earth, and it was here among the crowds he hoped to catch sight of Sara, Amy, or Sonic. He didn't think Sonic would really stay...he liked running across Earth too much.

He pushed through the crowds until he found a good vantage spot. While he spied a couple blue-quilled hedgehogs, they were not who he was looking for. Grumbling, he pushed further into the station, but to no avail. He considered getting a ticket and heading through the gate, but withdrew his hand from the ticket machine at the last moment. _Why is it so damn hard?!_

He flew out of the station back into Station Square and began running to burn out his frustrations. While this activity normally comforted him, it was irritating. He'd gotten so close to...to asking a girl out, one he might even possibly like...and she was gone. To make matters even worse, he found that no matter what direction he went in, he found himself looping back toward the Gate, or to Amy's apartment, and even past the diner she worked at.

Throughout the day, Shadow sped between one location and another. The diner, the mall, the... He even went into the Red Baron and watched someone play DDR. He went to Olga's Kitchen and watched couples having normal meals. He zipped to his "home base" and flipped through his books and magazines, trying to find some reasoning, some logic behind it...

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the book before him. He did this several times until his hand missed and caught a splinter from the rotted floorboards. Sighing in resignation, he packed up his books and ran them back to the library. By the time he got out, the day was turning dark and gloomy. _Perfect._

* * *

Not knowing quite what he was doing, Shadow returned to Amy's apartment once again. Just like last time, Cream answered him cheerfully and let him in. "Oh, Shadow! What happened to your hand?"

"Eh?" He glanced at the hand he had not properly bandaged. his glove was stained with blood. A splinter wasn't a good description; he'd hardly noticed how deep the jagged wood had dug in even now. "...Didn't realize."

"Oh!" Vanilla peered at his hand in alarm. "Let me clean that up!" She grabbed his wrist and yanked him over to the bathroom sink whether he liked it or not.

"Rr…. You don't have to..." Shadow grunted as the antibacterial soap stung him. "I was just wondering...I...I'm hungry."

"Oh? Is that why you came here?" she asked as she got some proper bandages for his hand. "I can sew up your glove for you."

"..Thanks. So...why are you guys here if Amy isn't?" He glanced out into the apartment's living room. The flowers he'd left were now in a vase on the table, and the chocolates broken open.

"Oh, we promised to house-sit for her. She wanted her plants watered and fish fed." She indicated a couple hanging plants and a rather fat puff-eyed goldfish. "She also said we could eat what's in the fridge before it goes bad." Vanilla said calmly as she finished patching him up. "There you go. We're having spaghetti."

"All right." Shadow nodded. Vanilla took Shadow's glove for repairs and headed into the kitchen to finish dinner. Something small and teal caught his eye by one of the bathroom tiles. Leaning down to investigate, he found it to be the friendship bracelet he'd seen Sara wearing before. He glanced at the apartment's interior as if making sure he wasn't watched, then picked up the small string bracelet and put it on his de-gloved hand.

* * *

Shadow had spent the majority of the last three days running between Amy's apartment and the World Gate. Calculating a next move that didn't revolve around him going to Mobius seemed impossible. The first day, he had told himself that he wouldn't miss Sonic or Sara. A day free to run, and nobody to challenge him.

Day two he spent on a bench looking out onto the Station Square monorail tracks. People flooded by in droves, both for the World Express and normal Earthly stops. Watching some of the Mobians pass him by, he wondered why he had little to no interest in them. He even tried flirting with a busty purple hedgehog, but all he got for that was a slap in the face.

Whenever he got hungry, he went back to Amy's. Vanilla and Cream weren't there all day, but he'd quickly caught onto their schedule. Vanilla didn't probe him with repeated questions, and Cream was a blabbermouth. He didn't really know why he wanted to be there, other than meals. He sighed, taking in a deep breath. _Her scent is still here,_ he thought.

While Cream was watching children's shows and Vanilla was busy in the kitchen, he took the opportunity to sneak into the small room. Unlike the rest of Amy's apartment, it wasn't a pallid pink. There was a bed, a dresser, a closet, and some odd junk Amy had thrown in the room for storage. He assumed the water skis belonged to her.

A moment in the dusty room, he sat down on the edge of the bed. It was nice and springy. He usually didn't have a place to lay his head. He thought about the warm body that had been there a couple days prior. She hadn't really left his mind. Not that he wasn't used to obsessions or loss. His mind allowed a moment's thought to drift to Maria. She would have wanted him to be happy, but...he didn't know...how.

"Shadow? Are you still here? Dinner!" Vanilla called.

"...Can I stay here tonight?" Shadow asked after dinner was done. Since he'd been a good house guest and Amy wouldn't be returning for quite a while, Vanilla allowed him to do so.

It was after sleeping on that nice soft bed that Shadow made up his mind. _I'm going to the gate,_ He thought to himself as he downed some pancakes Vanilla made for breakfast.

Cream had given him a number of weird looks and this morning was no exception. "Are you okay, Shadow?"

"Huh?"

"...You're staring again." Cream blinked.

"Oh...yeah yeah...I'm fine." Shadow took a bite of the fluffy goodness on his plate. It wasn't just pancakes…it was pancakes with vanilla cream cheese filling sandwiched between, with banana, whipped cream, pecans, and syrup drizzled all over it. "This...is pretty good," Shadow admitted, the first time in a while he'd actually been thoughtful about what he'd put in his mouth.

It was strange... He looked around the nice apartment that he would probably never visit again and felt an odd sense of... Peace was it? Observing people was fine, but now... now Shadow wanted to be part of what he'd observed. He glanced across the table, seeing the energetic rabbit tell stories to her patient mother. As much of an annoyance as the rabbit had been to him, he admired Vanilla's patient calm exterior. It was normal to want others around.. Maybe he'd just been lonely too long. He closed his eyes and thought again about Maria, she had held and comforted him, but it was a long time since that was even possible.

"Mr. Shadow, are you okay?" Cream asked with an enthusiastic "Chao!" chiming up from her pet, Cheese.

"Huh? Yeah... Thank you... for everything."

* * *

As usual, the station was packed full of people. Shadow took the last few bucks he'd received from Tony and exchanged them for a monorail pass. The black and red hedgehog found few reasons to go to Mobius. He was no longer being tricked by the mad scientist Eggman, and well...Earth was his home, if you could call it that. Sentiment…. Aside Maria he'd found few things to be sentimental about. His gaze turned to the delicate string peaking out from under his refashioned glove and wondered what it meant to her.

The other side of the World Gate looked much like Earth's side. The station was built after the gate opened, so the ceilings were quite high by Mobian standards, but well accommodated human travelers. The settlement outside, however, was about as city-like as Mobius got, and that was very rural compared to Station Square. Aside a few businesses, hotels, and tourist traps, most of World City was suburbs. This was also not his ultimate destination, so he took a complimentary map from the monorail station.

It was much more basic than the Station Square map, which boasted eateries at almost every corner and gas stations all around. A few natural landmarks were the only major notations aside cities and settlements. He made a sighing sound and asked a woodchuck for directions.

It didn't take him long to travel to Knothole. A few months before the World Gate opened, Knothole had officially become the new capital of the Acorn Kingdom, giving up Mobotropolis as a wasteland after Eggman's efforts ruined it. Not that Shadow knew much about it; he'd been born on Earth. It occurred to him as he ran through the green hills and emerald forests that this world was very spacious and sparsely populated compared to Earth.

His inner reflections on his place in this Mobian world came to a halt as he reached Knothole. Once it had been largely a treetop settlement, but now it boasted a nice suburb tucked away between the tall trees. The buildings were more permanent and looked far more like a small town than a kingdom's capital. Once again, he switched from his active advances to a passive observer.

"Now what the who-ha are y'all doin' out this way, Sugah-hog?" a voice called behind Shadow. With a start, he turned to a half mechanical rabbit with tan fur. "Oh sorry there, Sugah, I thought you were Sonic."

Shadow made a face. "No." On the other hand, this meant he had the right place. The bunny was rather cute, though he couldn't help staring at the metal limbs.

"Y'all gonnah stare all day?" she asked with a hand on her hips.

"No...sorry," he said gruffly. "So, Sonic lives here?"

"Oh yeah, me and Sonic go way back." she smiled, more at ease now. "Y'all know him?"

"You could say that…."

"Well than, Ah'm Bunnie Rabbot." She extended a hand, which Shadow passed on. "Well?"

"...Shadow," he said uncomfortably, and when she offered her hand once more, he took it. She had a very firm grip.

"Well if yah are lookin' for Sonic, Ah could show you to his place."

"N...no...I'm just…visiting. I could use a tour, though," he replied. He wondered how to work this to his advantage, and Bunnie looked slightly unsettled by his cold crimson eyes.

While the lagomorph wondered if this was such a good idea, she had offered to show him to Sonic's. "Well come on, then."

Bunnie showed him around to the Ring Pool, which was of particular interest to him. He had wondered what the source of the protective rings were which had become so rare on both worlds, a few parks, schools... The gardens were of particular interest to Bunnie, who loved talking about the crops they had. Her southern charm and hospitality was nice; she kept everything on a pleasant note. Shadow didn't ask her about her robotic limbs, and she didn't question his motives for being there.

Knothole was a bit busier than he'd observed from its outskirts. Its business district was crowded with Mobians walking along its sidewalks. Here was a critical difference between Mobius and Earth, though, as Shadow was eye to eye with most Mobians he passed. He wondered if that would make things easier or harder for him in some ways. Sure, Earth had crowds, but when you're waist high, you're harder to spot, and the gaps between people seemed larger. Another problem with Mobius was the mixture of smells. There were enough people in the area that even the scent of his host was being lost in the crowd.

"Y'all hungry, Sugah?" Bunnie asked. While Shadow shook his head, his stomach told a different story. "Come on, Ah'll show ya a good place to eat." She took Shadow's hand with her mechanical arm and dragged him along.

"Ahh hello there, Bunnie, brought a friend today?" a lighter blue hedgehog asked, quirking his grayed eyebrows.

"Not exactly." Bunnie shrugged. "Says he knows Sonic, though. But anyway, Ah think we're both hungry, so could you make with some chilidogs, Uncle Chuck?" Shadow's ears perked up with interest now as he looked at the kindly hedgehog with deep brown eyes….

"Of course. Have a seat; it'll be ready in a few minutes." Chuck nodded and gave Shadow another considering gaze.

Taking a seat, it occurred to Shadow that he was exactly where he wanted to be. He looked around the diner's interior, particularly interested in the clientele. A purple walrus was munching fish sticks at one table, while a coyote tried to impress him, looking much like a dork. "...Sonic used to live here, right?"

"Uh huh... Before the World Gate opened, Eggman used tah' attack the people here. Sonic kept showing him up, tho'…." Bunnie gave Shadow an odd look. "Y'all don't seem to be local if yah don't know that much." She gave him a dubious look.

"Nnn...I haven't spent a lot of time on Mobius." He shrugged. A small chime over the door rang, just like the one in Vinnie's Pizza, and in walked a familiar figure.

"Ahh there he is now... Sonic!" She waved him over to the table.

_...Shit... So much for being low-key..._ Shadow got up quickly and raced to the restroom. "What the--?" Shadow didn't even hear what else was said about him as he tried to figure out what next. He really didn't want to have to explain himself to his rival._Great... This is why girls are nothing but trouble..._


	8. Damn Pushy Women

He had no game plan; he didn't know what he was doing to begin with._This is all Sonic's fault!_ he thought bitterly as he locked the door to the male's rest room. Maybe it was Sara's fault for smelling _like_ him. He sighed and placed an ear against the door.

On the other side, Bunnie and Sonic were having a chat about them. "Yo, what's up with your date? Antoine's gonna be jealous," the blue blur joked.

"Sonic! He's not my date." She shook her head but looked back at the rest room in puzzlement. "Said he's new in town, Sugah."

"Ohh…. Still, seeing me doesn't usually give people the runs." Sonic's laughter irritated Shadow to no end.

"Ah don't know what caused it." She shrugged.

"Oh well, he has to come out some time." Sonic idly scratched an ear and then remembered what he'd come for. "Yo, Unc! Can I have two doggies with the works?"

The lighter blue hedgehog laughed, "Of course, I should've known. Well...if that guy doesn't come out soon I may give you his." It was confirmation to Shadow, at least, that the owner of the restaurant was indeed Sara's father.

"Oh, he said he knows yah, Sugah-hog," Bunnie continued, taking her seat again.

"Oh yeah? Who is it?" Sonic asked, eagerly watching his uncle whip up a couple dogs just for him. His mouth was watering already!

"Said his name's Shadow." Bunny backed up a step at the suddenly darkened look on Sonic's face. "Uhh..I say something wrong?"

"No...no...we just don't...get along." Sonic turned his gaze to the rest room, while inside, Shadow looked for a method of escape, there was none. No windows or anything.

"Well ah...he did seem a little creepy, but Ah don't think he means any harm," Bunnie continued.

"Hey, Unc? I'll take those dogs to go." He lowered his tone to just above a whisper, "Just be careful around him, okay?" Bunnie nodded.

"Here you go, Nephew..." Chuck handed Sonic a...well, a doggie bag. "Don't let it ruin your day, all right?"

Sonic nodded, "Later!"

With that, Shadow was free to go. He poked his head into the restaurant and looked around. "Is he gone?"

"Uh huh...but if y'all are gonna stay here, you should try bein' on friendly terms with him." Bunnie seemed to be considering him as he took a seat again at the booth.

His eyes were on Chuck now, though. "I'll be fine. I'm always fine."

* * *

Shadow was finding he had fewer and fewer secrets to himself these days. A ninja, he was not. So he practiced a new method of camouflage--hide in plain sight. If he wanted a normal life, he would have to learn not to cringe at social situations. After leaving Chuck's Chili and parting ways with the half-mechanical bunny, he took a walk around Knothole.

His ears were trained on some of the conversations going on around him, though he still tested the air for familiar scents. Not that anything was particularly interesting; he was just trying to...as Tony said...learn the "fine art" of conversation. His nose did detect a certain floral scent in the air to which he was accustomed, and he followed it to a Mobian clothing shop.

_Of course…Amy would be here,_ he thought, and entered the shop. As he thought, a pink hedgehog was pouring over the latest fashions._Sickening..._and yet, the object Shadow most wanted was nowhere to be found. Still...he had come all this way; she might know...

"Umm...Amy?" Shadow made a coughing noise to alert her. He really felt like a dork right now...

"Oh...Shadow?" She blinked in disbelief.

"Yeah, small planet, huh?" Yeah, small talk.

She paused a moment, considering what to say... "Well, this is a surprise. Umm...can I help you?"

"Maybe..." He still didn't know how to word what he wanted to say.

"Well, I doubt you need anything in here." She laughed.

The darkened hedgehog just now realized the clothing store was women's only. "Oh...shit...crap... Umm...never mind, I'll just go." He started backing out, only to see Amy explode in a fit of laughter.

"Shadow! For being the so-called 'Ultimate Life Form,' you sure are afraid of nothing! It's just a clothing store. Afraid of seeing too much?" she mocked, holding up some frilly underwear.

That got Shadow's attention... "Amy, be serious!" he grumbled. Closing his eyes, he envisioned Sara wearing that, which made him clench his teeth at the thought. _NOT NOW!_

Amy laughed again. "Well okay, tell me what you want, if not I can meet you somewhere else later."

"No... Umm..." Shadow took a couple deep, slow breaths to focus himself. "...Sara...I'd like to see her again."

Now Amy's eyes were wide as saucers. "For real? Wow...! Just...wow... You and her? Oh my, I bet she doesn't even know how you feel...after that mall incident... Oh...just OH!"

"_**Shut up!**_" Shadow snapped at her. Amy tried to be serious about it but he could see her face cracking, and holding up the pair of panties wasn't helping his focus any. "Not another word!" It was very hard to be intimidating while surrounded by pink and red frilly things. A small giggle escaped even after she nodded. He breathed a heavy sigh. "You know...this is why I didn't want to say anything. Just go back to Station Square and not give a crap about anything, okay?"

Amy nodded again and cleared her throat. She glanced around to make sure no one was staring and smiled. "You have a crush, it's perfectly natural." She smiled a bit broader. "Ohh if only Sonic would recognize the crush I have on him...!" she said in a pining tone.

Shadow twitched an ear at her melodrama. "You can't tell _anyone_, especially Sonic!"

"Mmm... Mmm... So what do I get out of this?" Amy grinned like the cat that ate the canary. "You are asking me an awful lot, aren't you? You want to sweep Sara off her feet and I'm the one you want to help you with it, right?"

Shadow's face turned beet red. But, he did understand clearly that she was bargaining with him, and he was on the worse end of the deal. "Rrr…. What do you want?"

"Well...you know who I want but...hmmm," Amy paused in thought, "A favor, whatever I ask, redeemable any time, day or night. Sound good?"

"...I'm not sure at all what I'm agreeing to..." Amy's eager expression was making him increasingly more uncomfortable. This had to be the flip side of his blood red gaze... Creepy. "...Fine! Don't look at me like that!"

Amy giggled. "Great! I'll let you know about that favor soon... Hmm...meet you...oh... You have a map?" Shadow nodded and handed it over. The quicker he got out of the lingerie section, the better he would feel. "Okay! This is my house...this is Sara's, and this is Sonic's. Sara's staying with her father still, so let me help you get around him. Oh, and here's where I'd like to meet later."

"...What kind of guy is this...'Chuck' character?" he inquired.

"Hmm? Oh he's really cool, but I don't know how he'll react to a strange hedgehog hitting on his daughter." She shrugged and went back to browsing the highly suggestive underwear.

* * *

Shadow took the rest of the day familiarizing himself with Knothole. The streets ran a lot differently than Station Square. Housing and businesses closer to the palace rested on concrete and clear sidewalks, while the rest of the village had dirt or stone paths. Only main streets seemed to have names, so knowing what "area" you were in was more important. He wondered what their postal system looked like.

While he had caught up to Sara a couple of times that day, he'd kept enough distance so that she didn't see him. After all he'd gone through, he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of her. He sat down on a park bench as evening was just beginning to paint the sky. "What kept you?" he said dryly as Amy sat down beside him.

"Sorry, I just found the cutest purse...don't you think?" She held up a glossy pink purse with a kitty on the front.

Shadow quirked a brow. "You look...nice tonight...I guess." He looked away from her. "So what now?"

"Well…." Amy paused and looked Shadow over. "Let's see..." She made a reach for his chest fur, but he quickly swatted her hand away. She made a face. "It's your only cuddly feature, and it's a mess!"

"Cuddly?! I'm a hedgehog and so are you!" Shadow snorted in reply.

"Yes well, you want to be presentable? Girls like cuddly, okay?" She wrinkled her nose and heard shadow's grumbling while she attempted to smooth over the wild tuft of hair.

"Why do men submit themselves to this kind of humiliation for women? From everything I've read you girls are a financial and mental burden...prone to mood swings and _never_ happy!"

Amy acted as though she hadn't heard him and smiled at a couple of curls she'd put in the ends of his fur. "There. Ahh...I wish Sonic would actually...but you want to know why, really?" Her emerald eyes sparkled with a dazzling light. It was making Shadow sick. Getting no answer, she continued anyway. "Because you can't live without us."

"Hnnf... Maybe I should be asking Sonic about it. I mean...you've been chasing after him and he obviously doesn't want you." He had to put up a hand in defense quickly as Amy's face turned an angry shade of red.

"What was that?!" Her eyes had a fiery element to them and even Shadow had to back down at it.

"Ahh...sorry! But I mean...sheesh...get a grip." She took a few swats at him and almost loosed the bracelet he was wearing, which he quickly pulled out of her reach. "Why...I mean...what makes attraction work? What makes you think that Sonic will ever accept you?"

Amy paused in thought a moment. "Well...that's a tricky thing...really. They say opposites attract. Umm...you don't think Sonic and I are too alike, do you?"

"...You're both arrogant bastards, happy?" the onyx one said in grim humor.

"You guys are the impossible ones," Amy huffed. "See...a guy and a girl should...well...complete each other." She held her hands up so her thumb and pointer fingers made a heart in mid air. "The best matches I've seen, the two of them have something the other doesn't...not just cooking skills and such, but...one will be more patient, the other more affectionate maybe..."

"Something the other doesn't... So...I guess my match has a lot to make up for," Shadow said in a reflective tone.

Amy saw the change in his eyes; they weren't so cold and stony... "So, you just need to ask her out." Shadow froze; this was the part he needed help on. Amy found it rather amusing that the big bad ULF was afraid of normal activities like dating. Maybe Sonic was just scared to ask her out? "Well...I happen to know that her daddy is having a little think tank meeting with Tails and Rotor." When she saw a blank face at the latter's name she explained, "Chuck used to be one of the top scientists in the kingdom, and Rotor the walrus has his old position now. Tails is a child prodigy, so when they have big projects they tend to get together."

"...Ahh...so he's away now...got it." Shadow glanced around nervously. The park was rather open, lovely as it was, and if Sonic saw him at a place like this, they were sure to fight.

"Right... So…." She leaned in close to the dark blur and whispered something in his ear.

"...That's it?" He blinked in astonishment.

"Mmmhmm! So...!" She hopped off the bench and grabbed Shadow's wrist. "Now you need to go do it!"

"You women are so damn pushy!" he grumbled lightly as Amy led him toward Sara's house. Butterflies started gathering in the pit of his stomach. His mind raced over a million different scenarios and outcomes. As they approached the house, he could even see her silhouette against the blinds. _Gorgeous..._ The big moment...and...

Amy shoved him onto the doorstep and rang the bell. "Good luck!" She smiled and zipped off as fast as the blue one she admired so.

"Wha---wait a second, you haven't really told me what to--" He gulped as he heard Sara shuffling to answer the door, a light "Who is it?" as the knob twisted...along with his guts... _Damn women..._


	9. Rejection

Shadow squinted his eyes as light filtered through the crack in the door. As he had hoped and feared, Sara was standing in the doorway.

"Yes..?" her voice reached his ears, and he found his stomach quivering even worse now. What was wrong with him? It was a girl! Just a girl... If he didn't fall for that voluptuous big-breasted bat that was Rouge, why would this be any different? Why was it even different from Amy? She was a hedgehog, she was nice...the thought of them together made him hurl. "Oh...it's you...Twinkletoes," she said in a much deflated tone.

"...Twinkle...toes?" He raised a brow. "I don't understand…."

"So what?" she replied flatly. "Come to beat me again? I have a couple fighter games we could try...bet you're really good at them too." She rolled her eyes.

"...What are you talking about?" Shadow's head started returning to Earth, well, Mobius. He hadn't come all this way to be trash talked to by a no-good Sonic-wannabe.

"Like you don't know?" She took in his blank expression and made a scoffing noise, "Besting me at my own game ring a bell?"

"What? You're mad about that?" Shadow blinked. "You're the one who made me play... You aren't glad I did well?"

Sara brushed her lithe fingers through her thick brown bangs and took a breath. "_**Glad?! **_Maybe I should be, maybe I'm petty, okay? But you...you..." Her face was flushed and not in a good way. "You beat me! I...I..." She motioned her hands in the air in some unintelligible swirling manner, causing Shadow to seriously consider all women to be mental cases. "It took me_weeks_ of trying to get good enough to play through some of those songs and get even a B!"

"...You wanted me to play poorly?" he queried.

Sara let loose an exasperated sigh, "I'm a girl!" Her eyes narrowed a bit at his indifferent appearance. "You don't get it, do you?" her tone raised in pitch, Shadow's ears twitching slightly. "I'm a girl gamer, I'm a girl who doesn't like make up and such...I try my hardest at _everything_ I do! And then somebody comes along and doesn't even give a shit, and bests me! Doesn't matter if it's a dance game or...or whatever! You have any idea how it is to feel like no matter what you do, it isn't good enough?!"

Shadow's eyes were cast downward now. He could see her toes. She wasn't wearing shoes. She had a ring on one of her toes, and an anklet on as well. She had nice dainty toes. "...Yes…. I do."

There was silence between them a few moments. He was keenly aware of her breathing and dared not look up. "So...why did you come here?" She asked finally, relaxing her stance.

Shadow lifted his gaze... He felt like he was barely breathing at all as his eyes traced the curves of her body. "I..." His eyes finally met her disarmed gaze. Her bangs hung partially over her eyes and at that moment, with light behind her from within the house...she looked like an angel to him. He closed his eyes and slowly drew a breath. "I want..." No words came; his mind was as black as he was. Impulse overtook him, and he pulled Sara in for a more than friendly kiss on the lips.

For one brief moment, he was in heaven...only for the girl in his arms to draw back in shock and slap him clean across the face. "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

"Uh...I...thought actions would speak louder…." Shadow said, reeling from his sudden descent from that perfect moment.

"My fist speaks pretty loud too..." She made a face and took a swing at Shadow, which he reflexively caught. "...You! Stupid...!" As she attempted to wrench her hand away, a slender string peaking out from his glove caught her eye. While Shadow was busy trying to figure out why it was all going so horribly wrong, her free hand struck his other cheek.

"Ow! What was _that for?!_" Shadow growled.

Once again, Shadow found his wrist jerked about by a lady, though none too gently. "This!" She pried the bracelet from him, her angry brown eyes boring a mental hole into him. Not that she hadn't already stabbed him in the heart, but he now had a rope burn to add to all the insults and injuries. "Where did you get this?!"

"I...you left it at Amy's..."

"So you _have_ been stalking me! I knew it...creepy creepy pervert!" One more insult to his manliness in the form of a swift kick. A slammed door, and one crushed hedgie.

* * *

Amy winced, she'd been watching from behind he bushes. "Ouch...that...didn't go well, did it?"

Shadow was grumbling in pain, both emotional and physical, as the pink pin cushion approached him. "...Don't you even dare..." his tone devoid of any trace of humor. "Haven't you done enough damage for one day?"

Amy frowned. "I'm sorry, Shadow... Really." She paused. "Umm...you can stay with me tonight." Shadow shot her a dubious glance. The small encouraging smile she'd attempted quickly melted. "Come on...it would make me feel better."

"...She hates me." Amy said nothing, but offered her hand. "We're just a couple of losers, eh?"

"...Shadow..." Amy helped him up, though he didn't seem to want to support his weight. "...look...I've struck out with Sonic dozens of times! You can't be discouraged by one little mishap..."

"One?" he voiced in shock she would even try to minimize this. "Sonic didn't kick you in the groin..."

Amy winced, "No...maybe not, but..."

Shadow sighed as Amy led him back to her house. "Happy now?"

Amy's pity started waning. "Actually…. Yes. I got you to say what's on your mind."

"...And that did soo much good," Shadow said in glum sarcasm.

* * *

Amy had encouraged Shadow to stay in the following day. He complied only out of a lack of will to do otherwise. She sighed and left him alone in the small pink house. It was much like her apartment in Station Square, but with more windows. Shadow preferred it dark. Brooding wasn't going to do him any good, though.

While he moped about her home, Amy was busy running damage control. She entered into Chuck's Chili at a quick pace, not surprised to find Sonic there and the cluster of freedom fighters he'd been friends with since he was little. "Sonic!" Amy beamed. Sonic winced as he usually did.

"Hi, Amy..." he said in a less than enthusiastic tone. Amy took a seat beside him, looking more serious than usual. "Ahh...what's up?"

"Ohh...umm, guys? Could we have a little privacy?" She waved off the other Mobians who'd clustered around her blue hero.

"Way to go, Sonic!" Rotor smirked as he and the others stepped off to a booth on the far side of the diner.

"I can go in back if you need me to--" Chuck began, but Amy cut him off.

"Actually...it's about your daughter."

Chuck set down his apron on the counter and came around to the other side to sit with Sonic and Amy. "I'm assuming this is about Shadow showing up and upsetting her?" Sonic's quills bristled at that.

"Yes... First off Sonic, don't do anything stupid." She looked straight into Sonic's emerald eyes with her own.

"Uhh...stupid, me?" Sonic laughed nervously.

"Yes, like challenging Shadow to a fight while he's emotionally distressed!"

"Emotionally..." Sonic couldn't help laughing. "Shadow is like the coolest cucumber I've ever met! All the time I've known him all I've really seen is anger or determination." He shrugged.

Amy glared at him. "He does too have feelings! That's why he went to Sara last night...I think he's really in love!" It was Chuck's turn to be shocked, his mouth agape, though Sonic was similarly stunned.

"No way…." Sonic blinked a few times. "Dude, no way..."

Chuck coughed, "As...well...that may be, Amy, but after what I've heard of Shadow I'm not sure...he's the right kind of guy for my little girl." Amy's brow furrowed.

"I know he's not a bad guy, Ames," Sonic put in, "but I dunno he's exactly a good guy either."

Amy sighed. "I'm just saying he really got hurt last night! He probably hasn't been able to share his feelings with anyone and now…."

"Well, I'll try to calm Sara down, but I can't make any promises or recommendations. She has a good head on her shoulders; she can make her own choices," Chuck said in a calm, soft voice.

Sonic seemed to consider things for a moment. "Maybe...but my cuz really doesn't like him." He shrugged.

"She doesn't even know him!"

"Well why don't you date him, Amy?" Sonic smirked to a dumbfounded Amy.

"Uhg! Men!" She slapped Sonic across the face, then left in a huff.

Sonic and Chuck exchanged glances. "So..." Sonic said after an awkward silence.

"Were you going to challenge Shadow?" Chuck went back around the counter and pulled his apron on.

"Yeah." He glanced at the door Amy had just left through.

"You think Sara wants that?" he said idly while flipping a burger.

"Actually…yeah. The way she put it, he stole her friendship bracelet and tried to force himself on her." Sonic was feeling the urge to run again, though hot dogs were on the grill as well as the burger, and that meant his favorite food was close at hand.

"...Not sure I believe that if Amy's defending him." He finished up the dogs and put them onto buns for his nephew, topping them with his special chili sauce.

"Mmm... Ahh, the smell of chili dogs...nothin' better..." Sonic grinned. "Yeah, well, Sara's a girl; they over react. Take Amy for example."

"So what now?" He finished topping the chili dogs and passed them to Sonic.

"Eat." he said with a satisfactory grin. _If Amy smelled like chili dogs..._ "Well, I dunno, but I have a sudden itch for a spar."

* * *

Amy returned home, quickly checking to see if Shadow was still there. "Hello? Shadow?" Though she didn't receive any reply, he was easy enough to spot, sitting on a couch, staring at the wall. "How long have you been sitting there like that? And in the dark too..." She went and opened up the curtains, letting the bright daylight in.

Shadow squinted his eyes. "Since you left..." His left hand rubbed his right wrist lightly. His only memento of her was gone.

"You know, if you weren't so gloomy and mopey all the time, you might get a bit further..." Amy encouraged.

"It's not who I am." He shrugged.

"So what kind of man will you be for Sara? I mean, if she accepts?" Amy flopped down on the couch next to Shadow.

"She hates me. It doesn't matter," he sighed. Amy had a habit of meddling in things that didn't concern her, his love life or lack thereof being one of them.

"Well...I mean it. Relationships are a two-way street, you know?" She gave another hopeful look.

"No I don't. I don't know anything." His voice was oddly calm. "You weren't born in a petri dish. You aren't some evil alien hellspawn that could destroy the world..." Frustration started to seep into Shadow's voice as he stood up. "**I don't **_**know**_** how to behave!** It wasn't programmed into me, it doesn't exist! All I do is look through book after book to find out what the hell's missing and everybody says something different! What do you _WANT me to do?!"_

Amy's ears went back and she looked at a side of Shadow she thought existed but didn't expect to see. If only Sonic would open up to her like that... "I..."

"No no...I've learned one thing today." Shadow said resolutely, "It's that...nobody knows what the hell is going on." He started walking toward the door.

"Huh? Shadow? Where are you going?" Amy called after him.

"Dunno, don't care." The door shut behind him as he walked out into the village. It was such a nice day outside...so freakin' great...


	10. Confrontation

Maybe Amy had made things worse for Shadow, but she'd try playing matchmaker as best she could. No sooner than he had left, she sought out Sara to try to smooth things over. Like Sonic, she was a creature of habit. Sara and her bruised ego were usually found at the local arcade, and today was no different. She was venting aggressions on Feet Fighter II.

"Umm...Sara?" Amy called tentatively.

"Ehh?" A perturbed eyebrow twitched as Chang-Lee kicked her butt yet again. "Oi..." She turned from the arcade machine, not looking at Amy as venomously as she had Shadow, her prized bracelet back on her wrist where it belonged.

"Are you on your cycle or something? You've been really snippy lately." Amy shot her an annoyed look.

"Hey! None of your business...!" She shook her head. "So what do you want?"

Amy heaved a sigh, "You really are like your cousin some times…."

"Well, except that I'm sky blue with brown bangs and eyes, and I'm female, and I'm not fast, and I don't go around saving the world, and nobody's heard of me, though everyone's heard of that Tiara bitch." She put a hand on her hip for emphasis. "Other than that, yeah, I see the resemblance!" She smiled and had a saccharine tone to her voice.

"...Right, jealous much?" Amy replied drolly.

"Sorry, Amy…." She scratched behind her ear the same way Sonic did. "So what did you want anyway?"

"Well, it's about Shadow…." She held up a hand before Sara could say anything else. "Ah ah...well it's just... didn't you treat him a bit harshly?"

The gaze returned to her was somewhat shocked. "H-harshly?"

"Yeah I mean...sure Shadow can seem like a cold-blooded jerk some times, but did he really deserve that kick?"

Sara's cheeks turned red. "Geeze! I knew Shadow was spying on us last week, but now you're spying on me? What's come over you?"

"Actually...I sorta nudged him into talking to you like that." She bit her lower lip. "...I didn't think it would turn out that badly."

"Did you tell him to kiss me too? I mean, you saw that too didn't you?" Sara had at least eased up a bit, but not much.

"No...I just told him to be himself." She scratched the back of her head, feeling a bit sorry for tossing Shadow out on a limb like that. Maybe she should've given him a little bit more coaching...

"So he's a pervert and a thief." She shrugged.

Amy twitched an ear agitatedly. "Shadow may be a lot of things, but I doubt he's either of those things! Besides, you have no idea how hard it is for him to even show his feelings... He's been hurt badly in the past...can't you see that?!"

Sara's surprise softened her gaze a bit more, though she was still skeptical. "After all the things Sonic told me about him after the mall incident...I can believe he's got a tortured past, but how is that my problem? I don't even like the guy!"

"You were getting all buddy-buddy with him at the mall before we went to the arcade," Amy said firmly. "You're every bit as petty as Sonic! I'd expect him or _Knuckles_ to hold a grudge like this, not you!"

"Hey...! I'm not _that _naive" she protested, shaking her head, her bangs falling partly over her eyes.

"I'm just saying...you should give him a chance," Amy said in a softer tone. "I've waited for Sonic for so long, and he hardly notices me...but you? If nothing else...I know Shadow wants you.. or at least a fair chance. You just shot him down like a bullet…that's crazy!"

Sara brushed her fingers through her bangs, wiping them out of her luscious brown eyes. "Maybe... Hey, Amy?" She perked an ear up. "Sonic does notice you, you just...come on too strong. Try losing the makeup and just being _you_ for a while. All the glitter and everything...I think it scares him, like you're too fragile to touch."

There was silence between them for a minute. "Hey...where are you going?" Amy blinked as Sara started leaving the arcade.

"Ahh...I need some air." Sonic's kind of smirk crossed her face. "Later!"

_No wonder Sara drives Shadow nuts...she's just like Sonic..._ Amy tilted her head, watching her leave. But then again, she had gotten something to think about as well. Time to skip on home!

* * *

As usual, Shadow managed to find the gray cloud in every silver lining. Despite gorgeous weather and a beautiful flowery meadow, he managed to be miserable. He was beginning to think that he would spend his entire life alone. He was used to the cold blackness that accompanied loneliness, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Finally, Shadow lay down on the soft grassy earth, staring up at the puffy clouds overhead. _What a worthless existence..._ He thought of his many failures and few triumphs. Selfish or selfless? He always helped others out when things were bleak and hopeless, though he didn't seem to care until it was almost too late. He really was a sadistic bastard. Maybe that's why he was torturing himself over_ her_.

A sudden breeze brought a familiar scent his way. _Sara?_ He thought at first, but it was quickly dismissed as a ball of blue and red sped toward him. Usually, he would be on his feet the instant he caught wind of his rival, but things were acting in slow motion for him. He smirked a bit, thinking how he'd confused Sonic's scent for Sara's, and now it was the other way around. He'd have to pay closer attention to the subtle differences between them.

"Made a payment on your insurance lately?!" Sonic quipped as Shadow barely dodged his homing attack. The blue blur came to a halt a few feet away, not surprised Shadow hadn't fought back. "Aww, now is that any way to continue a fight? You're supposed to counter-attack."

"What's the point?" Shadow shrugged. Out of habit, he'd taken a defensive position.

Sonic scratched behind his ear as he had a habit of doing. "Hmm...it's fun?"

"...Oh yeah, we beat each other up just for a laugh, right?" As usual, Shadow was without humor in his tone.

"Actually..." Sonic stretched his legs. "It is fun. I mean, aside Knuckles, there's not many people who can best me in a fight...even if you are a Faker." Usually the "faker" comment got a rise out of him, but today there was just a shrug. "Something eatin' you?" he asked, continuing the casual stretching routine.

Shadow sneered. "I must have hit a new low, if even you're pitying me." Though he tried to turn away, a streak of blue missed him by inches, only for the cocky hedgehog to go right back to stretching. _What?_

"Nnn...not like you to give up without a fight." Sonic extended into more flexible moves, his cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"I don't feel like fighting," he replied truthfully.

"Ahh…not even over Sara?" He saw the glint in Shadow's red eyes sparkle for a moment. Yeah, he was definitely smitten.

"Okay, what's your game?" Shadow tugged at the ends of his gloves, feeling a bit more ready for a rumble.

"Eh, nothing much, I just didn't think you were a quitter." Sonic rolled into a ball suddenly and spun at the black doppleganger with incredible speed. This time, however, Shadow dodged it with far more ease.

"...What are you up to?" Shadow asked, his poise more suitable for fighting when he landed.

Sonic's grin widened. "Why don't you tell me what you're up to first?"

"Nothing!" Shadow couldn't keep passive much longer; Sonic was starting to amp up his attacks, causing him to be more aggressive in his counters.

"I don't believe it." Sonic and Shadow collided in the air. He knew his opponent was acting on autopilot, his mind elsewhere, but at least he'd decided to play. "You didn't come through the World Gate to see me, anyway. Heh! And all this time, I thought you liked fighting with me."

Shadows' quills bristled. "What the hell did Amy say to you?!" _I told her to keep her trap shut, damnit!_

"Amy? Ehh! Maybe she said something, but you've been acting really weird, buddy!"

"_I am __**not**__ your buddy!"_ Shadow snarled and went on the offensive. "And just what makes you an expert on relationships anyway?!"

"AHA! The truth comes out! Someone's in _looooove!_" Sonic had to move fast at Shadow's second attack. _Ahh good, he's waking up_.

"Rrrr...! Shut up!" He didn't want to talk about _her_, especially with _him_. It was a logical choice to beat the tar out of him and be done with it.

"_Oooo_...I'm so scared!" Sonic nimbly dodged a barrage of homing attacks, though he knew Chaos Spears would be flying if he made him much angrier. "...Maybe you should try flowers next time, huh?"

Shadow skidded to a stop. "Are you actually--?" He didn't have time to question further, and jumped over a low spin dash.

Sonic stopped for a minute, his back turned to the unbelieving black blur. "I just heard that girls like flowers, y' know? At least that's what Amy keeps saying," he said with a dismissive sigh, and waved a hand.

Shadow was ready for another attack, but none came. "You don't even care about Amy; she's been after you night and day and you've done_nothing._ Maybe I should go after _her_ instead!"

Sonic's quills bristled and Shadow suddenly found Sonic's fist connecting with his jaw a second later. Dumbstruck, he lay there on the ground, a thin trail of blood running from the corner of his mouth. It was only reflexes that caused him to hold up his hands and arms in defense of a Knuckles-style beating. "Don't you even _**dare**_joke about that!"

Shadow's eyes were wide as saucers; he'd just...never seen Sonic react like that, especially over Amy. Wasn't she some kind of joke to him? A clingy little useless appendage he wanted removed from his life? Sonic's emerald eyes reflected an icy cold gaze that rivaled Shadow's usually intense one. He got ahold of his senses moments later, but the damage was already done as he got up slowly and backed away from Shadow, keeping his eyes on him in an untrusting way.

"...The hell was that for?" Shadow coughed and wiped away some of the blood as he sat up. He was quite winded and unsteady after that sudden attack.

Sonic was quiet for a minute, thinking, until the calculating glare was driven back to a more neutral look. "For Amy." He shrugged. "Sorry, man, I didn't mean to lose control like that."

He could see the honesty, but things had taken a bizarre course. Shadow remained seated, trying to make sure he hadn't fractured anything. "...So you do care about her."

Sonic coughed. "Yeah."

"...So why do you keep running away?" he asked calmly. Looking at his blood-stained hand, he was grateful Vanilla told him that cold water would get rid of the blood.

"Because...I'm not ready to settle," Sonic replied. "I like running more than I do standing still." He knelt down to Shadow's level, fixing him with an indiscernible expression. "What about you?"

"...I want the world to stop moving."

Sonic whistled. "Tall order. Don't think I can help you with that." He stood and offered his rival a hand. "Maan...why'd it have to be my cousin?"

"I've asked myself that…." Shadow took the offered hand, finding himself a bit wobbly. "..You've been taking lessons from Knuckles, haven't you?"

Sonic smirked. "Actually, I hope to show Knux a thing or two." After Shadow was solidly on his feet, he made a few quick jabs at the air. A smile tugged at the corners of his rival's mouth--blood stained though it may be.

"It's going to be hard...she hates me," Shadow said after a minute.

Sonic shrugged. "Maybe." He grinned again, "You know, I hated Amy from the moment I met her."

A dark ear twitched. "...So then...?"

"Well, she's a brat, but she's a persistent brat." He shrugged again. "Been wearing me down, I guess. I'm just used to treating her like that." The smile drew a bit wider. "Like we both know, though...she doesn't give up."

Shadow laughed. A good, hearty laugh. "Damn. Women are nuts."

"Yeah, they are." Sonic smiled again and sped off, leaving Shadow once again in the peaceful meadow. What an awesomely freakin' great day.


	11. We Have Come to Terms

Shadow washed up in a small, ice cold creek at the edge of the meadow. He didn't mind the warm sun so much now as he mulled over what Sonic said. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. _I made a promise to you that I would move on._ his mind wandered back to the Ark and his only friend Maria. _It's hard...I feel like I haven't gone anywhere until now...but I have to try._ He drew his wet gloves out of the creek and laid them on a semi-flat rock to dry.

He looked at his reflection in the water, partly distorted by the ripples it made. He'd done a good job of cleaning up the blood, and a small smile crossed his face. He glanced at his messy tuft of chest fur and straightened it out. _My only cuddly feature, huh?_ he thought. After a minute, he realized he was inspecting his looks, making sure he was presentable. It was such a normal and mundane thing.. Why hadn't he even thought about it before?

Waiting for his gloves to dry, Shadow lay back down on a grassy hillside. Many small flowers were in bloom around him and he could hear the trickling creek beside him. It was all so...peaceful. He determined he would enjoy it for a change. The scene soon lulled him to sleep, his usually busy mind soon at rest.

Eventually, the breeze carried a familiar scent once more that began to rouse Shadow from his slumber. Assuming it to be Sonic again, he was slow to open his eyes. The sun was still mostly overhead right now, causing him to grunt and look away. A slight shadow was cast on him when he turned, and found himself now staring at the back side of a sky blue hedgehog. "...Huh!?" Her curves were unmistakable, as were the rainbow colors adorning her right arm.

"Ahh...nice day out, isn't it? Nice and warm, but enough of a breeze it isn't sweltering." Shadow couldn't believe she was talking to him. They hadn't made eye contact, but her tone was light and airy.

Shadow sat up, staring at her. The way her quills waved lightly in the breeze, the way the fabric of her tube top hugged her form, the outline of her delicate body. He was sure he was dreaming. "...Um...yeah...nice day..."

Sara looked over her shoulder at him. "You know, you're not hard to find. Usually when my cuz is upset, he goes running for hours." Shadow shrugged. "I kind of owe you an apology for the other day." He remained quiet. "I kinda overreacted." Another pause. "...You're kind of quiet, aren't you?"

Shadow blinked a couple times as if he just realized he was being talked to. "Uhh? Oh... Yeah, I guess I am."

"...Sonic told me a few things about you after the mall thing. You lost someone important to you...probably hard for you to trust others because of that." She turned a bit more, and Shadow's crimson eyes took a bit more notice of her curves, two peach spheres just peaking out of the fabric that made up her top.

His eyes moved back up to hers before responding, "I keep thinking I'm cursed." He found himself staring with a different kind of intensity toward her. Anticipation? Longing? Hope? Was this a second chance?

"Ahh..." She noticed where he was staring and shook her head. "I'm just not used to guys being interested in me."

The dark hedgehog's ears twitched lightly, assimilating the news. "Really? I thought...someone like you would have a few guys after you…." he looked away at a patch of flowers nearby. "...You're pretty."

Sara blushed a bit and looked away herself, her bangs falling partly over her eyes again, hiding her expression. "No, I mean it. So...I mean...we're cool, okay?" Shadow's eyes fell on her again, studying. "That is...if you'd like to be friends?"

"I'd like to be more," he said quite forwardly, causing her eyes to widen, and cheeks to flush even more. "...but friends is good."

"...Why me?" She peeked out from under her bangs, only slightly brushing one clump of hair aside, to get a better look at him. He was kind of handsome, and she liked the red highlights in his quills. The eyes were a little creepy, being red like that, but they were softer than before. "I mean, why did you even notice me to begin with?"

Shadow laughed lightly. "Ahh...I actually thought you were Sonic for a minute." He shrugged, "Your scent's a lot like his." The shock on her face told him this was news to her. "You probably don't notice...but it's been driving me nuts."

After the shock wore off, Sara began to laugh, "I _smell_ like him? Man, you're a bad romantic." She stood and wiped a tear from her eyes. "So...I'll see you around, okay?"

Shadow nodded lightly, trying not to stare at body parts he was sure to get smacked for. In doing so, he caught sight of an iris right within his hand's reach. It was then he noticed his gloves were off, an ebony hand resting at the base of the bud. "... Wait..." He glanced back up at her and stood up after pinching the bud's stem.

"Ah?"

"...For you...and...thanks." He handed the flower to her, his face so close to hers. Acting on impulse again, his lips grazed her cheek in a light kiss. Not waiting for an answer or retaliation, he went and grabbed his gloves and sped off, leaving a shocked hedgehog in his wake.

* * *

As evening approached, Sonic was once again at his uncle's diner. The two of them were talking about things, Shadow having been a passing topic. Charles joked that he would go out of business if Sonic kept getting freebies. "Ahh…. It smells so tasty, Unc. Mmm..."

"I know, I know, but I can't just let you keep eating for free." Charles chuckled. He glanced at the door as a pink hedgehog entered the diner. "Ehh? Amy?"

Sonic winced and then glanced back over his shoulder. Before he knew it, a glop of hot chili had fallen from the hot dog previously in his hand. "Yeow..!" He blinked, unable to believe it, though he blamed his reaction on the hot chili more than the pink one. "...Ames?"

"Sonic?? Are you okay?" She strode over to him quickly as he fumbled to clean up the chili dog spill.

"Aww man...! What a waste of a good chili dog." Sonic blinked at Amy, who had knelt down to help him clean it up.

He took a good look at her, trying to make sure it was the same Amy he knew. It was the same headband she always wore, but her quills lay a bit less...perfectly down her neck. She was wearing a red dress like usual, but this one was a little shorter and had less flair in it, Sonic thinking that it showed her form off better, and he was getting a good look at it right now, now that she was helping him out. If he hadn't been seeing things, it appeared she'd also left out the lip-gloss. However, it was her scent that struck him... No perfume to mask it, it was this enchanting, slightly chili-ish...

"I'm sooo sorry! I didn't mean to startle you like that." She started to stand up and bumped her head on the stool Sonic had been seated in moments ago.

"Whoa whoa…hey...don't hurt yourself, Amy." Sonic gently pulled her away from the seating, and she stumbled over her own two feet, right into his chest. It was an ideal situation for Amy, who's heart always beat fast around Sonic, but his heart was also aflutter. _What the hell happened to you?_ he asked himself as her scent began to intoxicate him. He leaned in close and kissed the top of her head where she'd been bruised.

"...Are you feeling all right?" Chuck queried, raising a brow. Both young hedgehogs were blushing.

"Eh? Yeah, I'm fine, Unc, why?" The blue blur scratched behind his ear.

"Ahh...just…you're still holding her," he indicated Amy, who was not objecting at all to the embrace or the kiss.

"Uaah...right." Sonic let go of Amy and pushed her aside gently, before hopping back up on his seat. "Come for some chili dogs? I'm starved!" She sat beside him with a slight smile on her face. "Uh…Amy...umm...new perfume or something? There's something...different about you today," he said in a slightly uneasy tone.

"Ahh? Oh no...not really. Actually...I didn't put on any perfume today." Her cheeks were red. Sonic was rarely this conversant with her unless she was scolding him. The hug, the kiss? She'd taken what Sara said into consideration, but hadn't expected such a quick reaction. Non-hedgehog customers didn't seem to see anything different about her, but Sonic and Chuck were definitely regarding her differently.

"Huh," was all he could think to say in reply before looking back at his uncle. "Two doggies with the works and...ahh...Amy? What did you want?"

She was quite flattered he'd thought of her; this was really marvelous. Typically if he did include her in something, it would be all his way--who could resist a chili dog with the works after all? She could, that's who. "Ahh...umm...I'll have a grilled cheese and some potato wedges please."

Sonic had his eyes on her, as if he'd just seen her for the first time in his life, and she was beautiful. Everything about her seemed to scream, "Touch me! Hold me! Keep me near!" From the slopes of her shoulders to the thin tendrils of quill hair that didn't lie quite right on her neck. He was positive something was very different about her, yet not much had changed in reality. If only he'd known that one little thing made such a difference.

As the MRT had written in a recent report, _"Certain Mobian species rely heavily on scent to identify a potential mate. The VNO picks up certain chemical scents, pheromones, which are compatible with their receptors. Though personality and appearance also play their part, it is thought that the VNO acts in a more subconscious way._

"_Why the same pheromones do not affect certain individuals of the same species is still largely unknown. Scent compatibility, however, has been found in a large number of Mobian rodents. After mating occurs the pheromone's composition changes, signaling the female is no longer 'available.' This is thought to be the reason that females are rarely fought over after a choice has been made."_ Not that Sara had read the report when she gave the advice, but any Mobian who didn't rely on makeup and perfume to talk for them seemed to know it instinctively.

As Amy and Sonic chatted over dinner, the bells on the door to Chuck's Chili opened again, letting a black and red hedgehog in the door. While quite a few seemed to notice his presence, the two teens didn't seem to regard him much at all while he took a seat not very far away from them.

"Ahh... Can I help you, Shadow?"

He nodded. "We need to talk."


	12. Awkward

"Huh? What's up, Faker?" Sonic grinned at Shadow, who returned an unamused glare. "Heh... Chill, I was only asking."

"None of your business…." He turned back to the older hedgehog. "Charles, right? Could we talk somewhere...more private?" He gave a brief glance back at Sonic and Amy.

"Oooh...ignore him, will you? Besides, we just got our food," Amy said, tugging at Sonic's arm. He nodded to her lightly and sat beside her complacently.

_Well there's something you don't see every day._ He thought. He, too, noticed Amy's natural aroma, but it was not appealing to his senses. "Well?"

"..Of course, right this way." Chuck turned down the heat on the grill and led Shadow into the back room. "Ahh..."

Shadow took in a breath to calm himself. "It's about your daughter...it is Sara, right?" Chuck nodded, noting his serious tone. "I...I like her."

"Mmm...I'm not so sure the feeling's mutual." Chuck raised a brow. He motioned to a stack of crates he could use as a seat.

"We're on...friendly terms now...I guess." Shadow scratched the back of his head. "Just a couple things I wanted...I guess."

"Yes?" Chuck was a little puzzled by Shadow for a couple reasons. He'd heard of Sonic's encounters with him and had some idea of his background. It wasn't particularly comforting that a hedgehog who was not particularly stable minded with little known past had taken a liking to his little girl. But then, he had helped Sonic on a number of occasions. As had been said, he wasn't a bad guy; but was he a good guy?

"..You're probably worried..." He made eye contact with the affectionately termed "Uncle" Chuck; both of them were searching for something. "...I just come out of nowhere and say I like her...but I do. I don't know why...I just do."

"Mmm... That's how I felt about her mother, actually...I think I scared my father-in-law when we met the first time," he offered with a half-hearted smile.

"...Anyway...I'd like permission...to date her...and maybe more if that goes well…." He averted his eyes to his lap, his fists clenched into tense little balls resting on his knees.

Chuck's ears perked up at that. "...Rather bold of you to say that." He paused at the silence that followed. Shadow remained silent until Chuck broke it, "You know...I don't tell my daughter what to do. While I'd advise her to be careful around strangers...I don't really have much say in who she does or doesn't date."

"...Really?"

Chuck nodded. "However, if I felt very strongly about something or_someone_, then I would tell her so... She usually listens to me." Shadow maintained as neutral an expression as he could. "I'm saying it's up to her for now."

"So the next question..." he brought his gaze up one more time, "...she has this...bracelet…. I'd like to know about it."

"Eh? That old thing?" Chuck blinked a couple times. "Well...if you'd like to know, then..."

* * *

Sara wasn't home that night, having been invited to a sleep over at Amy's. Amy wasn't the only one there when she arrived with a fluffy sea foam-green pillow and blanket in hand. "Hellooo! Amy?" She kicked at the door since her hands were also full of some boxes of Snowcaps and Buncha Crunch.

"Ahh! Sara! Hi! Come on in!" Amy beamed. She was already in her jammies, pale pink with bright red hearts plastered all over them. The hem of her top was lined with frilly white lace, as were the cuffs of the pajama bottoms, and the top had strings for straps, also covered with lace.

"Ahh...I bet you have some stuff even worse than that if you ever manage to hook Sonic." She grinned as a bright blush crossed Amy's face. "Hi, guys! Party started without me?" She walked in and brushed her bangs away from her face. She was still rather colorful even in her pajamas, which were black with little Mario-themed mushrooms all over them, and a giant green "1-UP" mushroom on the center of her chest. She stepped into the living room and plopped her stuff down in front of the couch, followed by herself. The candies just barely made it to the edge of a glass coffee table.

Mina Mongoose was seated on one side of the couch, her legs crossed with a big bowl of popcorn in her lap. Her outfit was black with hot pink frills and a heart with wings in the center. Next to her, Bunnie was in light yellow and purple. Even Tiara had come. She was seated on a nearby easy chair, a blue-teal colored hedgehog with blonde quills that curled ever-so-perfectly. Her two-piece pajamas were orange and green and showed off entirely too much of her midsection.

"Ehh? Why is _she _here?" Sara's brown eyes glared slightly into Tiara's black voids called eyes. She didn't know why she hated her; she just did.

Amy closed the door and stepped back into the living room, sitting down on a puffy pink and red heart-shaped pillow that was surely hers. "Oh calm down, Sara, you're not my only friend in town." She smiled at the others. "I haven't been back here in a while, so why not have _all_ my friends over?"

"Yeah yeah... Oh! I brought Snowcaps!"

"Sorry Sal-gal couldn't make it," Bunnie apologized for the princess. She felt comfortable in the PJs that nicely covered her robotic limbs as she reached for a handful of popcorn.

"It's all right, I know she's busy," Amy said in an overly pleasant tone. _Finally upstaged that pampered brat, _she giggled inwardly.

"Ready for the movie?" Mina held up the remote to the DVD player seated on a shelf over Amy's flat screen TV.

"What are we watching?" Tiara asked, reaching for a bowl of Chee-Tos that were sitting on the glass table.

"P.S.: I Love You. It's a Romance...drama...comedy. It's really really good!" Amy beamed.

"Tell me I'm not going to cry..." Sara glanced beside her at Amy. "Not that I don't like a good chick flick, but could we watch Space Balls II or something afterward?"

"Oh fine, fine...YOU bring the movies next time." Amy shook her head. "Okay Mina, start it up!"

The moon was high overhead as the slumber party went on, P.S. being the first of several films on the night's agenda. Shadow had started looking for Sara after leaving Chuck's but hadn't had any success. It wasn't until someone mentioned Amy having some girls over that he'd had a clue. He could see some dim light flickering inside the house, though every other one on the block was dark inside. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"**AAAAaaaaaaaahhh!"** a chorus of screams shot up from inside the house.

He recognized one of them, "Sara?!" and hastily rammed the door in to another round of screams.

"AHH! We have ah selves an intrudah!" Bunnie cried, flinging a hand-stitched pillow at him with her robot arm.

"Ooof!" He fell backwards onto a circular rug only to be bombarded with another pillow and cries of "This is _girls only! Out! out!"_

"I... What the?!" a very confused Shadow asked. Another set of screams shot up, though lower in volume from what he'd heard earlier. Apparently, a horror movie was now playing on the TV. "Ahh...stupid...!"

"Shadow?" Amy queried as she flipped on a light. Everyone squinted for a moment before the black and red hedgie came into view.

"...What...I..heard screaming…." He rubbed his head.

Sara laughed. "Silly, we're watching a movie!" She made a face at him, hugging her blanket around her.

Amy cleared her throat, "Well, this is a girls' only party, so you're going to have to go." she held out a hand to Shadow.

"...Not yet. I'd like to talk to Sara," he said softly as he stood up.

There was a collective "Oooooooo!" pointed at Sara from the girls.

"H-hey!" She blushed and ducked her head to her pillow.

"Can I?" Shadow looked into the living room at the gaggle of girls seated around the coffee table and TV. An ear twitched impatiently.

"Uhhh...well..." Amy glanced back at them. "Sara? You guys can use the kitchen."

Sara stood, still cloaked by her blanket. "Oh...fine." She started walking off to the kitchen when Tiara intentionally held back her blanket.

A series of whistles accompanied the "disrobing," followed by laughter. "Have fun with your boyfriend, Sara!" Tiara smiled.

"He's not..." she started, but saw the expression on Shadow's face. "Ahh...well he is my friend," she softened, then pulled him into the kitchen.

* * *

Sara turned on the dimmer of the kitchen lights on and leaned against the sink. "So what possessed you this time?"

"A guy like me doesn't have many mementos..." Shadow said, smoothing out his quills. "Just wanted to give you something...I know that bracelet was important to you, so I'm sorry you thought I stole it." She looked up at him from under her bangs quietly. "Well, it was my memento of you when you were gone." He held out a thin rope bracelet, mostly black, with flecks of red and sky blue in it. "So here's one for you...from me."

"Eh? A friendship bracelet? But I already have one…." She checked for her prized teal bracelet; it was still there.

"No reason you can't have two, right? Besides, this one has a twin." He rolled aside the rim of his right glove, showing an identical bracelet.

"Ahh...I don't think I can..." She avoided eye contact and brushed her bangs over her eyes.

Shadow leaned against the dinner table and looked her over. "I'm...trying to move on with my life. I'd like to smile more...and…to see you smile." He took a step forward and lightly ran his fingers through her bangs, shifting them back into place. "...It'd make me happy."

"...Shadow…." She shifted a bit uncomfortably. He was so close, she could feel his body heat... "I said we're friends, right? That's good enough, okay?"

"...Is it?" He tilted her chin up so their eyes met. She really did have a shy, quiet side to her. His eyes were hopeful, though, that she would accept him.

She put her hands up against his chest, suddenly aware of how soft and cotton-like his white tuft of fur was. "H-hey...this is going a bit fast, right?" She laughed a little, but she couldn't seem to push him away.

"Maybe. I don't know how fast or slow it should go. I just want to know if you want to." He dared lean in a bit closer 'til they were almost nose to nose.

"...You really want me, right?" She blushed deeply. Her breathing had slowed to a crawl, everything had. She couldn't believe anyone was interested in her, let alone so seriously. He was...intense...perhaps a bit intimidating, but...so forward. She took a light sniff of the air; he didn't smell bad either.

Shadow had to fight off impulse, so close to her... "Yeah. What? You thought I wanted Sonic?" He laughed a bit to try to lighten the mood.

"Ahh well you are rivals...quite a one-up, being interested in his cousin, eh?" She took a stunned moment on Shadow's part to gently push him away. At last, she could breathe.

"It's not that, I swear!" Shadow's cheeks turned red. He'd already argued that one out himself...though that dream did kind of freak him out.

Her expression softened. "So you do have other emotions." She took a seat at the dining table. "Mmm...I'm really flattered but...we hardly know each other."

"That can be changed." Shadow walked over to the table again, but he didn't sit down. Very lightly, very gently, he brushed his fingers through her quills, sweeping them from one side to the other, and rested his hand on her shoulder after running it down her neck. "I'll tell you anything...I won't keep secrets from you."

A warm feeling overcame Sara. He was nice...why had she reacted so badly to him at first? Maybe she was trying to stay single a little longer, just be a teen. She hadn't really even noticed if a guy was cute or not 'til recently. Now she had one promising her everything a woman could want.. And he didn't mind being told he needed work.

Her quills flared out slightly as she felt his tongue on the back of one of her ears. "---Wha?! Not here, not here!" Her cheeks turned bright bright red. Forward indeed... They hadn't even really...well okay, they kissed...but this was him asking if they could be _mates!_

"Sorry." Shadow could already smell an alteration in her natural scent from that one special "kiss." She was receptive; he just had to wait….

Sara stood and wrapped her arms around the dark hedgehog. It was the last thing he expected, but he was grateful, as he hesitantly put his arms around her. "Mmm...could we at least date a bit first? I think Dad would feel better about it too." Shadow nodded, too dumbstruck to say anything. "Okay... Park. Tomorrow. Noon. Okay?"

"...Yeah." Shadow brightened and dared a kiss on her forehead. "Thanks." Shadow idly set the bracelet on the table as he walked away. Outside the door, he turned to his left to find a pileup of startled girls gasping. "What are you looking at?"

"Nn...nothing!" they chimed in unison as Sara realized they'd been spied on.

"Gah! Blast it!...!" She grabbed the band and shoved Shadow out the front door. "Go on before they have more to torment me about!"

He left to the sound of laughter as a big pillow fight ensued seconds after he'd left. _Women really are nuts...but there's one I really like too._


	13. Attractions

Morning was covered with a hazy fog. Sara pushed someone's head away with her feet when she woke up on Amy's floor, wrapped in her favorite blanket. After having chocolate chip and banana pancakes with the girls she was ready to go home. "Better hurry, looks like it's going to be nasty out," Amy commented.

"Ehh? What for?" Sara yawned and glanced out the foggy window. "Not like I'm in a hurry."

"Not unless you mean to keep that date with Shadow." She grinned coyly.

"Oh crap…." Sara blinked. "Ahh...sorry, Amy, I gotta pretend I'm Sonic...!" She gave a nervous laugh and gathered her things so she could rush home. She made it just before it began raining...pouring down rain.

"...Have fun, dear?" Chuck's voice called when she walked in.

"Oh yeah! It was lots of fun." She smiled a bit. "Phew...I gotta get dressed in some regular things; these PJs are itchy."

"Hmm." He raised a brow. Her behavior wasn't odd but... "Well, I'll going to the restaurant, if you need me. You should probably stay in; we're supposed to get some nasty storms."

"Actually...I do have somewhere I have to go, but I'll take an umbrella," Sara replied hesitantly. She hoped he wouldn't ask where or why. She'd spent all night in her dreams reliving that scene in the kitchen, with more than a few creative outcomes.

"Oh...well...you are a big girl now. Just...be careful, okay?" Chuck walked over to his daughter and put his arms around her. While he usually gave her a peck on the cheek before leaving the house, the hug said clearly, 'You're my little girl; you always will be.' He knew Sara was old enough to do what she wanted, and in spite of what he'd told Shadow, he knew teenagers had a way of making rash decisions. "...I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy." She smiled at her father and watched him as he headed out the door. "Phew…." _Oh man...I can't just tell him I'm going on a date with Shadow…._ "Hah..." she laughed lightly.

* * *

It certainly wasn't an ideal place or time for a date. The rain had been pretty relentless since midmorning. Still, Sara wasn't going to back out of it, though her choice in wardrobe had changed. Yellow rubber slip-ons went over her shoes and a rain poncho over her clothes. Very sexy. Not. She carried a rainbow-colored umbrella with her and tried desperately to clear a semi-dry spot on a park bench while she waited for Shadow.

It didn't take long for him to show. "Nice weather, huh?" his voice was the only dry spot of the day.

Feeling a bit antsy, Sara quickly looked his way. "Ehh? Shadow!" She stood up quickly and pulled him under the umbrella. "What are you doing here like that? You're soaking wet!"

"Sorry."

"..Sorry? That's all you can say? You'll catch a cold like that!" She stamped a foot, and a spray of water hit Shadow's already soaked legs. She frowned a little bit.

"I have few possessions...an umbrella is not one of them." Shadow shrugged. Sara was about to say something but changed her mind. "So, what do we do now?"

"Oh...umm...I don't know, heh…the arcade?" She frowned a bit at his lack of smile, remembering their last time at an arcade. "Sorry, I didn't know it would rain like this."

For a few minutes, they just stood there in the rain. Droplets of water ran off of Shadow's quills and the end of his nose, causing him to sneeze a couple times. The sound of the rain was somewhat comforting, but it was heavy enough to put a halt to most outdoor activities.

"I...think I see shelter," Shadow said, and pointed to a gazebo, just visible through the white wall of rain. Sara nodded, and the two were soon under the wooden roof. It was covered with climbing plants that were just starting to have buds on them. In a few days it would be amazing to see, but right now, the leaves only provided an extra guard against the rain. Even under the roof, the gazebo was open enough that the wind carried a few drops in. There were semi-dry seats, though, which they sat down on.

"Aren't you cold?" Shadow shrugged reply. "I was hoping we'd get a chance to walk by some of the flower arrangements they have here...it's very pretty."

"Ahh…." Shadow started to tap his foot slightly, in similar fashion to Sonic when he got impatient. Sara started to laugh at that. "Eh? What's so funny?"

"Mmm...the way you're tapping your foot." She chuckled.

_Crazy,_ he thought, but he relaxed a bit and allowed himself to smile. It was silly, but it made her laugh. It just wasn't a good day for this... His mind wandered a bit, trying to decide on how to keep that smile there a little longer. The rain was depressing her, so he should go somewhere it wasn't raining. "Hey…."

"Mm? Yes, Shadow?" She leaned back on the bench, then shivered a little at the cold rain drops that managed to fly at her neck.

"You went to Station Square so you could see Earth, right?" She nodded. "How much did you see?"

"Ohh...the city mostly. The harbor is really something, and all the tall buildings? Man, there's _nothing_ like it here on Mobius! Robotropolis was as close as you got, and that was Eggman's twisted version." Shadow was relieved to have her suddenly chatting; she'd brightened up at that. "Amy showed me all the malls in the area, and I ate some really good food." She continued for a few minutes until she ran out of things to say.

"So, just the city, huh?" A grin spread on Shadow's face when she nodded. "How would you like to see more?"

Sara's ear twitched lightly. "You mean it?"

Shadow nodded. "I'm not Sonic, but I promise I can match pace with him. We can be to the World Gate in less than an hour."

A smile spread on Sara's face, one that stuck. "Sure. But! We have to be back by nightfall." She stood and brushed some of the water off of her and grabbed the umbrella she'd set to her side.

"Ahh, that could be a problem..." He saw the look on her face but just scooped her up in his arms before she could object.

* * *

Just as Shadow hoped, the other side of the Gate was experiencing a very sunny afternoon. Hearing Sara's stomach grumble, he knew a meal was in their future...but he had no cash. "Umm...hope you don't mind...Sara, I know this place we can grab a bite."

"Ey! Shadow! Where ya been? I--oooh a lady friend?" Tony beamed as the door bells rang a second time, letting Sara into the pizza place.

"Shut up..." he said with teeth gritted. Why was he allowing this kind of humiliation? His own stomach growled defiantly. _Ahh.. right..._

"Ahh, I hope this wasn't what you wanted me to see, Shadow." She took his hand lightly, glancing up at the tall human being who seemed so friendly with the social miscreant.

"No…." He paused, "Sara? This is Tony. Tony, Sara."

"Pleasure's all mine. What'll ya have? In honor of this momentous occasion to which Shadow has finally found love, it's all on me!" The human beamed. Shadow's jaw hung open, completely mortified. Sara just began to laugh, though the both of them were red in the face.

After having their fill of double cheese and green pepper pizza--Sara's choice--Shadow scooped her up again and headed out of the city. "Ohh wow! The trees are larger here than the Great Forest!" Sara commented as he sped them through a dense forest. "...Are we going to stop here?" Shadow shook his head and kept running.

* * *

It was late in the day when Shadow finally came to a stop. Sara had fallen asleep some time ago, having gotten used to his rhythmic strides. He was quite content to have her leaned up against his fluffy chest and had tried his best not to jostle her in transit. But now, they were at their destination.

He lowered her down so her feet were on the ground, and put a hand over her eyes. "Sara...Wake up, we're here," he said softly.

"Mmm? Huh?" She quickly made a grab for his wrist.

"Ah...hold on, I don't want to spoil it." Sara complied as he gently turned her in a specific direction. "All right, how do you like it?" he asked quietly as he removed his hand from her eyes.

The evening light cast a swirl of reds, yellows, and oranges on the canyon that spread for miles before them. "Oh wow!" Sara's eyes went wide as she took in the scene. "It's...It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. It was. It really was beautiful, the layers of rock all stacked on each other like a strange but wonderful painting. It was dusty, and it was barren, but it was beautiful.

"Glad you like it." He smiled genuinely.

"So why this place?" Sara asked and leaned slightly against him. "Of all the places you could take me, why here?"

Shadow thought about that a minute, a reflective look in his crimson eyes. "It's like me."

"Hmm... No sorry, don't see the resemblance," she joked.

"It's a big chasm, something with a lot of nothing in it at a glance." An impulse he had to slip an arm around her waist was not cast aside when he acted upon it. "Can't see much life happening around here... It's a place that's searing hot in the day and cold at night...but when you look closer…."

"...It's more than just a void. It's a place of contradictions, but it has more depth to it than what meets the eyes," Sara finished for him, a steady smile now held fast to her lips. "You come here to think, right?"

"Yeah." He dared draw her a bit closer. "How'd you...?"

"Nnn...I'm a poet at heart." She shrugged idly. "Singing, writing, and video games. Three things I'm good at." She paused a second. "House keeping...not so much."

"You want to see more of Earth? I know a few places..." Shadow offered.

"I don't think we can see much more today..." The fingers on her right hand started brushing through Shadow's chest fur as they chatted.

"Tomorrow? The next day?" he asked with growing interest. "I know you were born on Mobius but...do you want to stay there forever?"

"Are you asking me to stay with you here?" Sara returned.

"Maybe." Shadow lay his head on hers, taking in her scent once more.

"Would you stay on Mobius if I wanted?" She said, testing him a bit.

"I might." A kiss to her forehead again. He was no longer paying attention to the scenery, nor was she. Their eyes locked together, each probing the other for sincerity, desires, secrets…everything. He leaned in a bit closer and was not refused a true "first kiss." He was beginning to crave the feelings his heart was now able to comprehend and hoped the moment would last just a little longer.

"Mm…." Sara drew back from the kiss, blushing lightly. "Thank you...I think...this was a good first date."


	14. Family

"Well, you're home late...it's almost morning," Chuck commented with a yawn as Sara tried to sneak back into the house after kissing Shadow good night.

"Aheh...sorry. We did a bit more traveling than I thought." She shrugged, carrying her rain poncho in one arm.

He looked over his little girl, a spark of reminiscence in his eyes. "Ahh to be young again…." He sighed a bit. "You really like him, don't you?"

Sara blushed and nodded a bit. "Yeah...I think so." She brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Ahh, that's a new bracelet, isn't it?" He indicated the one Shadow gave her.

A smile came over her face. "Yeah."

Chuck shook his head and watched her ascend the stairs to her room. He wondered how much longer she'd be staying there. Rubbing his weary eyes, he headed for bed, thinking of a time long ago when some sweet girl like Sara had caught his eye. He chuckled lightly and slipped into bed not long after, taking a longing look at a picture of a happy family sitting on his nightstand. "I just hope she's happy…."

* * *

Things changed after Shadow took Sara through the World Gate. It wasn't just Shadow who'd changed or Sara who'd changed, but it had a rippling effect that went beyond their relationship. Sonic's sudden tolerance for Amy was probably a bigger surprise to people than Shadow's being interested in a girl. The two of them had mellowed out in their own ways...Shadow's eyes were not nearly as piercing as they once were, and Sonic had begun to "stop and smell the roses."

Now that Shadow had broken out of his mold, he was starting to ask questions. Mostly, he needed social instruction. Between Amy and Charles, he had a better idea of what was behaviorally expected of him. He still tended to shy away from social situations if he could avoid them, but for Sara's sake, he'd tried to mingle with others.

Some things hadn't changed. Shadow and Sonic continued to square off whenever they encountered each other. Princess Sally was about ready to have Shadow escorted away in cuffs for assaulting Sonic until the blue blur burst into riotous laughter over it.

Ahh now that was one of the changes; Sonic and Sally's relationship had shifted since he started growing closer to Amy. The two of them had been on shaky ground for quite some time, and perhaps Sally even suspected her royal position would break them apart one day. Not to say they weren't very good friends, but as usual, Sally chose not to let her personal feelings interfere with things. Amy was a hedgehog, and it was Sonic's life, after all...though Bunnie thought she could sense a bit of bitterness at Sugah-hog's shifting affections.

* * *

Sonic was returning from a long distance sprint across Boulder Bay and Stick Canyon that finally ended at Knothole within the Great Forest. It was an excellent day to go for a run, and he'd had a lot of luck too. He found some rare fire blossoms in the canyon and was thinking Amy might really like them. Of course, cargo or no, a scent he couldn't seem to refuse caught his attention. _Shadow! HA! We haven't sparred in several days!_ he thought.

Not even breaking stride, the hedgehog detoured up a tree and placed the flowers in the crook of one before tracking down the source of the scent. It was easier to do in the forest than the city, as there was far less to cloud his senses. Sonic rolled tightly into a quill-covered missile as he honed in on his target, his battle cry giving him away, "CANNON BALL!"

"S-Sonic! Stop! Ahh!" Sara cried and held up her hands as she dove to the side, Sonic just barely able to deviate his course enough to miss her before skidding to a stop. Skidding to a halt a few feet away, Sonic glanced around quickly, expecting Shadow to be around. "What the heck did you think you were doing?!" she said in an indignant tone.

"Uh umm... uh... Shadow...he's around, isn't he?" Sonic sniffed the air a couple times...it was so strong, he just _had_ to be around.

Sara looked at him in puzzlement. "No... He left for the World Gate, said he had a few things to do, I think he'll be back tonight." She blinked at the way he was searching around for a "shadow" that wasn't there.

"You're joking," Sonic said, bewildered. "I coulda swore…." He let his nose do the sleuthing for him.

"...Coulda swore?" She put a hand on her hip. "OH! My bracelet!" she gasped, noticing her new accessory to be missing and quickly kneeling down to search for it. "I hope you didn't cut it off!"

"Sorry!" Sonic replied quickly. Shadow's scent was very strong... After a moment's thought, his eyes widened and he took a good long look at Sara; _she_ was the source of it! "Ho..."

"Eh? You didn't find my friendship bracelet, did you? It's black with little red and sky blue flecks!" Sara frowned a bit. "Shadow gave it to me, so I don't want to lose it..." She paused, noting Sonic frozen in place with his jaw hanging open. Her brows pursed together lightly. "Umm...swallow Froggy or something?"

"N...nothing...just you...smell...umm, like Shadow." Sonic knelt down and started searching for the bracelet halfheartedly.

Sara laughed. "You're the second person to tell me I smell like a guy."

"Eh?" He grasped a small cord and pulled it from a nearby bush. "This it?" He offered the black piece of string.

Sara chuckled, "Yes that's it." She wrinkled her nose; it needed to be retied. "Shadow thought I was you when we first met. He told me I smell like you."

Sonic laughed a bit at that. "Ha! Ummm but...you...now...smell like..._him_ and uh…that means you two..." he scratched the end of his nose, thinking of how to say it, "that is...you guys didn't...? I mean...ha...you and Shadow...not that serious yet...right?" _That was so lame…. We will never speak of this conversation again!_

Sara laughed, but her cheeks turned a cherry blossom pink. "Mmm hmm. We did."

Cost of Mobian Monorail Pass for two...$12.69

Cost of Vinnie's Pizza...$6.99

Cost of disposable camera ...$5.99

Catching the absolutely shocked look on your cousin's face when he finds out you did _it_ with Shadow...? Priceless.

"You…he... What the?!" Sonic blinked in surprise.

"Well, we've been going out a while now, you know that. Besides, you encouraged him to be persistent, right?" Sara grinned, a hand placed on her hip.

"Yeah but still...I...wow...what's Uncle Chuck think?"

Sara blushed a bit deeper. "Well...let's say he's not shocked, but...he's been trying to talk us out of going to Earth."

"Eh? So you're leaving?" Sonic queried.

"Mmmhmm. I said I wanted to see more of Earth, and he…well, as best as can be described, grew up there." She finished retying the bracelet and slipped it back onto her wrist. "What about Amy?"

"Huh? We--" Sonic blinked.

"I mean, she had that apartment back in Station Square. Are you two staying there or moving?" Sara took on the cocky smirk she'd wiped from Sonic's face. "You know, I saw Amy earlier today..."

"Oh yeah?" Sonic said a bit nervously. His heart was racing, and worse yet, he could tell Sara was enjoying this. "How was she?"

"Oh good, I like how she's growing her quills out, they're nice long, don't you think?" Sonic nodded in agreement. "But...I must object to her new perfume."

"Huh? I thought she gave up perfume?" Sonic's emerald eyes fixed on Sara.

"Yes well, she's wearing 'ode de Sonic'," Sara laughed. "I wonder what Chuck will think of that..." she said innocently. "Shadow and I aren't the only couple to consummate things?" The grin spread a bit wider.

"Aha...umm…." Sonic scratched behind his ear. "Yeah."

The sky blue hedgehog laughed again, "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Anyway...I gotta start packing." Sara gave Sonic a quick hug before moving on. "Ciao!"

So it had come to this, huh? Shadow had Sara, he had Amy. He wondered who his friends would be paired to, and imagined Knuckles trying to claw himself away from Rouge. "Ha...! Oh boy, what a day!"

* * *

The weather was starting to get a bit chilly, but even so, Shadow had taken Sara up to the roof of the apartment complex. They'd taken up residence a couple floors above Amy and Sonic's apartment, as they'd also decided to live on Earth for a while. The pair of hedgehogs was sitting on the edge of the building, looking at the failing sunlight. The more the light faded from view, the more lights flickered on in the buildings, looking like a myriad of earthly stars.

"It's pretty," Sara said, leaning up against her lover.

Shadow put an arm around her protectively, sheltering her also from the cold. Now that he had a place to stay and someone to care for, he'd made physical improvements as well as social. Regular meals and less anxiety contributed to the extra sheen in his quills and a silky texture to his fur. He was rather proud of it too, especially since_she_ liked to snuggle against him like she was doing now.

"How long do you want to stay out? I know you get cold easily..."

"Mmm...a little longer. I want to see the city twinkle a bit more." She buried her head into his white tuft a bit more, only to hear a laugh from Shadow.

"You're not going to see anything at that rate." He pulled her a little closer still.

"Mmm..." She glanced out over the city, then took a good look at Shadow. His eyes were reflective, peaceful, a far cry from what she'd first seen. There was silence a little bit longer before she spoke, "So...you know Amy's going to the MRT tomorrow?"

"What for?"

"Oh, well you know they provide free medical to Mobians if they agree to allow them to collect scientific data, right?" Shadow nodded. "Well...Amy said…and you know Sonic doesn't know this yet, but she said she might be pregnant."

"Huh? Wow…that was fast," he said with genuine interest.

Sara tried to scoot in just a little closer. "Not really, I mean, we're all hedgehogs...young and all..."

"Ahh...hold on…." He picked her up and set her in his lap. "If you tried scooting any closer at that rate, you would've pushed me off the building." He gave a momentary laugh.

"Shadow...have you noticed anything different about me lately?" She lay her head on his shoulder and went about stroking that lovely tuft of fur she enjoyed so very very much.

"Eh? No...well, you got your bangs trimmed." He paused in thought, "And you're being kind of nosey tonight."

"Yeah...I guess." Her cheeks turned a bit pink.

"Are you okay? I don't want you getting a cold or something." He looked puzzled.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Never better...I just...might be gaining weight…." She waited for Shadow to say something, wondering if he was really this naive, or if he'd catch on.

"You look good...and whatever you want to buy, it won't make your butt look fat, I promise." Shadow got up and carried her back toward the door to the stairwell.

"Shadow..." she said in a very quiet whisper, "... I'm pregnant."

His eyes were fast to lock with hers. They were nervous and elated at the same time. His were certainly shocked, but it was what followed that initial shock she was probably worrying about. "Y-you mean it?" He continued to stare as she nodded reply. "W...wow...I...I never imagined myself...a father." His embrace grew a bit more firm, just the assurance she needed.

"So you're okay with it?" She sighed in relief and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"More than you know." His voice was soft and tender. There was more bounce in his step lately, and the news he'd just received added to that as he carried her carefully down the stairwell. He had extra reason to protect her now...to protect...his family.


	15. Oyasumi

Author's Notes: Well, this is the grand finale, hope you enjoyed the story, please feel free to leave comments! Thank you for reading:3

* * *

Sara easily fell asleep before Shadow that night. His head was still reeling from the prospect of parenthood. _Me? A father?_ While they'd discussed a number of things before they became mates, children wasn't one of them. Not that Shadow was opposed; they did discuss the potential after they'd become joined, but it had seemed like such a far off thing.

He cast his eyes down on his lover; she was partly curled up, lying on her side clutching a pillow. She'd never looked so beautiful to him, so peaceful. He gingerly slipped his arms around her and drew her close to him. He could feel her warmth, her soft breathing. He could smell lilac shampoo still caught in her quills. He gave her an affectionate lick behind her ear, reaffirming his scent. He liked it better when their scents were mingled.

It was all so perfect; what right did he have to any of it? Shadow closed his eyes and took a deep breath...

_The earth was a blue sphere hung in the darkness. Though millions of lights dotted the heavens, the brilliant azure sphere glowed more brightly to him now than it ever had. Shadow stood on the ARK, watching it drift lazily through space._

_"Beautiful, isn't it?" a female voice said gently at his side._

_He didn't have to look to know who it was. "Yes...yes it is." His head tilted to the side to take in the sight of a blonde-haired human in a white outfit. Maria._

_"It's been a while since I've seen you, Shadow." She smiled warmly. "You look good."_

_"Thank you, Maria." He looked back at the planet and laughed a bit. "You know you're dead, right?"_

_"You know you're dreaming, right?" Maria answered, putting her hands behind her back and looking down on the planet as well._

_"Heh. Even in dreams…." Shadow shrugged._

_"You haven't dreamt about me in a while, though," she continued. That was very true. Shadow found sleep to be a black void for the most part, and while his few dreams usually had included Maria, he couldn't recall a single dream she'd been in recently. "What are you thinking about instead?"_

_A smile drew upon Shadow's lips. "I was thinking...there's someone I wish who could see this." He waved his hand and motioned at the view from the space colony._

_"Ohh?" Maria asked with interest. Her eyes had a bit of a twinkle to them._

_"Yeah." Shadow folded his arms over his fluffy chest. "She likes looking at the stars."_

_"Is she the reason you don't think of me so much?"_

_Shadow nodded lightly. "I guess she is."_

_"Tell me about her." Maria smiled and took a seat next to him on a sofa built into the wall._

_"Where do I begin?" He looked downward and caught sight of the friendship bracelet sitting under the rim of his glove. "She's...normal. Very normal."_

_Maria laughed. "Well that doesn't tell me much; you were expecting more?"_

_"I...don't know.." Shadow paused thoughtfully. "I guess I didn't think anyone would be interested in 'a freak like me'…. She doesn't have speed like Sonic or strength like Knuckles...she's just...average, and I like that."_

_"That's wonderful, Shadow! I knew you could find someone." She beamed proudly. She patted the seat next to her, and he took his place._

_"I still miss you...but..." Shadow glanced back at the blue globe floating outside the window._

_Maria wrapped her arms around her Mobian friend and held him against her. "It's all right, Shadow. I'm glad. You were my friend when I needed someone, as I was to you. Now you have someone to share your love with directly." She saw his ear twitch lightly as he listened to her gentle tones. "I don't think we'll see each other much more...but that's okay."_

_Shadow looked up at Maria. It was time to say goodbye to dreams. They had once shared a valuable friendship, but it had long ago expired. She'd told him in many ways that he should move on, be happy...and at long last...he was. It was still hard to say, but Sara had been a balm to his soul, and when opened his eyes, he knew what would be waiting for him. "Good bye...Maria."_

* * *

"What's the buzz, Cuz? Amy and I came as soon as we could!" Sonic called as he and Amy filed into the MRT's waiting room while Shadow winced visibly.

"I told you not to call me that!" Shadow snapped back. "Hmph...never thought I'd prefer you calling me 'Faker,'" Shadow said, shaking his head.

"Ignore him!" Amy said while shoving her mate aside. "How is Sara?" she asked in a softer tone. About a week before, she and Sonic had been here for the delivery of their baby boy. Amy desperately tried to talk him out of the name Speedo, and after a lot of convincing he was finally named Blitz.

"They just admitted her..." Shadow shivered head to toe briefly. "I've never heard screams like that…." His crimson highlights seemed to pale at his thoughts.

"Don't worry. She's tougher than you think." Sonic grinned.

"Ohh...I wish she would take the drugs...it really dulled the pain for me!" Amy lamented. She knew Sara was hell-bent on "natural" birth, with the MRT only intervening if necessary.

Shadow's ear twitched lightly. "She's going to be all right..." he said, though not as certain as he sounded. If it were some external enemy, he had no doubt he would protect her. The fact was, the alien "attacking" her right now was internal, and there really was nothing he could do about it. That alone scared him half to death.

"Hnn...I'll go get some coffee; want any?" Amy asked the boys. While Sonic agreed, Shadow shook his head. "Are you sure? It's not like she's going to give birth in the next three minutes..."

True to Amy's words, hour after hour crept by at a nauseatingly slow pace. After several lattés, Sonic was bouncing off the walls, crashing shortly thereafter on a large couch in the waiting room. Amy had been talking the whole time, going over little details about proper breathing techniques, or idle conversation about where to go for lunch the next day. Shadow sat by passively, nodding his head at prescribed intervals as though he was actually listening to what she had to say. She too succumbed to sleep after a few hours, leaned up against Sonic.

With a resigned sigh, Shadow decided that some reading might sedate his mind. He picked up a periodical left on the table by the MRT staff._Back to reading again, huh?_ He leafed through a couple of pages comparing human and Mobian pregnancies. The pictures were actually making him a bit uneasy. Yes, Sara had gone for ultrasounds during her pregnancy, but he was now looking at raw pictures of the kinds of "interventions" she hoped she wouldn't need, including C-sections.

In morbid fascination, he continued to read about the pains and risks that women entailed in child bearing and birth. It was a very odd sensation that overcame Shadow. He was repulsed and fascinated at the same time. Nobody had to do that in his case, but his child... He looked over at the waiting room door. It had been a while since a MRT nurse came by to tell him what was going on. He looked back to the magazine, his foot tapping impatiently. He hadn't realized how much could go wrong, how improbable life itself seemed...it did anything but alleviate his fears.

Even more tense than when he started, Shadow decided to do the time tested practice of all nervous fathers--he began to pace back and forth. He tried to clear his mind, but it was full to capacity. Every noise drew his attention...every breath was timed; the world had slowed down to a crawl. He noticed every footfall; he noticed if Sonic or Amy shifted in their sleep.

Taking deep breaths, he glanced at the door once again, this time actually going to it and opening up. "...Hello?" He poked his head inside and looked left, then right.

An MRT nurse caught sight of Shadow and looked at him in puzzlement. "May I help you?"

"My mate...Sara...she…." the black hedgehog began.

"Ohh!" She nodded with a smile, "Yes I know who you're talking about. She's about ready now."

"...Can I see her?"

At this, the nurse's expression seemed to darken. Was she all right? Was something wrong? His comfort zone had long ago slipped away. "Hmm...I don't think it will be a problem. Come along," she said in a tone not nearly as cheerful as that she'd greeted him with. "Dr. Garrett is the top Mobian physician on the planet at present; I'm sure he's doing all he can for her."

The halls seemed to go on forever. Shadow remained quiet and observant as they walked the corridors. Disaster scenarios involving a dead mother or child plagued his mind heavily. He'd even had reservations about the MRT, knowing he was part alien. If something happened, would it be his fault? Would they use their position to try to examine, study his child?

"Doctor? The patient has a visitor," the nurse hailed from the door of the delivery room.

"Eh? This is un--" Garrett began until a voice interrupted him.

"S-Shadow!" Sara called weakly, reaching out to her love.

Wasting no time, Shadow swiftly moved to her side and put an arm around her. Though she was a bit shaky and out of breath, his embrace seemed to slow her breathing and her heartbeat to a more relaxed level.

"Hey…." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and put a hand on hers. He wasn't about to waste a second with her if he could help it.

"What kept you?" She laughed a little bit, despite wincing seconds later.

"Nobody tells me a damn thing," Shadow replied calmly. "I'm here now."

"Ahem..." Dr. Garrett put in, "I hate to break up this touching scene but the baby's about due...so..."

"I'm staying," Shadow said firmly. "I belong here." He felt Sara's hand tense around his. She'd become used to the rhythmic pains and made little noise at its passing, though she smiled at Shadow. His support was just what she needed.

"All right. She's fully dilated so all that's left is…well, you know." Garrett gave a more genial smile and went back to business. About twenty minutes later, the room was flooded with the cries of a newborn baby hedgehog.

* * *

All the activity and buzz having died down, Shadow and Sara were left alone with the child after she'd finally been transferred to a recovery room. "We should tell Amy and Sonic...they're probably wondering where you went and how things went…." She indicated the bundle in her arms, a content smile having been plastered there since the final push.

"Someone from the staff can get them." He shrugged and pulled up a seat. He stayed silent a while, looking her and the child over intently. Sara's fur and quills were wet from all the sweating she'd done in labor. Her breathing was still a bit labored, though he still marveled at the pure contentment on her face. Perfectly happy. "...I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled softly.

"I don't say it enough...and I just realized a little while ago how…close it...I could've lost you." his tone echoed his concerns as he lay a hand on hers.

"You're sweeter than you know, Shadow." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the nose, since that was as close as she could get. "So...what do we name her?" She cradled the little hedgehog in her arms.

Shadow finally got a good look at the little one. She was a midnight blue, darker than Sonic, with reddish-brown highlights, certainly a far cry from the bubblegum pink of Amy, or even the sky blue of the girl's mother. "I don't know...I hadn't really thought of it." Her eyes were shut for the moment so he couldn't tell whose eyes she had. He kind of hoped it would be her brown eyes...he thought crimson was a harsh color for a girl to have.

"Hnn...how do you like the name Anne?" She fiddled with the cloth around her baby. Shadow made a face. "No, huh? All right…. Yulie? Andrea? Sierra?"

Shadow shook his head at every suggestion. "Sorry…."

"Well, there's one name I was going to suggest." She brushed her bangs back into place.

"But?" He wished he could hold her a bit closer, that they were home in bed together discussing this. They seemed to have some of their most meaningful conversations just before bed.

"Well, you started telling me about your time on the ARK..." Sara's eyes made contact with Shadow's. They were searching again. "I was thinking...Maria?"

Shadow's expression softened considerably at the idea. Even as Mobians went the baby girl was about as far as you could get from the human she might be named after. Yes, he'd thought about it too. "I don't know..."

"Bad idea, right? We could try my mom's name...Solia."

"No no..." he paused, "...Maria. Yeah. I can't think of anything better."

"...Happy?" Sara took advantage of his leaning in for another kiss, a bit more lingering than the last.

"Yeah. I am." One arm circled round his love's back, the other around Maria, a deep sense of pride welling up within him. Any doubts he had, any fears that he would never have a "normal" life vanished as he considered how much he had truly been blessed with.

The End


End file.
